So Beautiful, So Rotten
by xXLadyRachelXx
Summary: It's 1895. To save himself from poverty, Damien Sandow decides to work as a butler for the rich Lancaster family. During his work, he becomes infatuated with the daughter of his employer, Madeline. Madeline, who has been denied love and attention her entire life, seems to have feelings for the butler as well. But it doesn't last long before things start to take a deadly turn...
1. Never Forgotten

**Chapter 1**

 **Never Forgotten**

The landscape that passed Damien Sandow by behind the window of the train cabin would inspire every aspiring writer or poet to write a new masterpiece that could cement their legacy; it was one of the rare areas where the lush, rural nature remained untouched by the industrial rise of 1895. The sun was set high in the blue sky, but despite the fact that it was summer, Mother Nature decided to be kinder towards the creatures who had mercilessly wrecked her precious domains with pollution and destruction and let this be one of the days where the temperature was actually bearable. Thankfully the gentle temperature outside barely affected the temperature inside the train cabin.

Just a few more hours and Damien would arrive at the place of destination. He had been traveling for longer than a day and a night, he would be so pleased if he would finally be able to go outside to stretch his legs and breath in a fresh gust of air. He had traveled all across the United States. He had to agree, the invention of the train was absolutely incredible, but he hoped that one day there would be faster trains. It was 1895, there was still a lot of time left for present and future engineers to figure this problem out.

Damien let out a tired sigh as he continued to stare through the window. His throat felt dry, he hoped he could get his hands on a refreshment soon enough. There he was, a healthy-looking gentleman, sitting all on his own while most of his fellow passengers had joined together and engaged into meaningless chit-chat; occasionally a brief laugh would be heard in the train cabin. One of the passengers even had the guts to light up his pipe during the conversation, making breathing almost impossible. But the smell of tobacco would luckily thin out in time, though. Nobody who was paying attention to the silent gentleman. Damien, who had recently turned thirty-three years old, looked healthy and well-groomed in comparison to most men in the train cabin. He had black hair that was neatly combed, he had trimmed his beard just this morning and he remembered his late father often telling him as a child that he had inherited the big brown eyes he had from his mother. And, according to the many women he had met throughout his life, he was not exactly unattractive. A few woman had tried to strike up a conversation with Damien during his journey, but when it became clear that he preferred to be alone, they realized that he was not going to be the lover they wished to marry and go back to their seats. Damien figured that it was most likely his upbringing that granted him these good looks.

Apparently, a small, red ball wasn't planning on leaving him be, as it rolled across the ground of the train cabin and bumped against Damien's shoe, causing him to look up in mild annoyance. Not long after the ball had touched his shoe, he heard the fast pitter-pattering footsteps that only a small child could make. And it turned out that he was right; a little boy, who could be no older than five years old, ran towards Damien to collect his beloved toy. But before he could touch the ball, Damien had already picked it up.

'Does this belong to you, young man?' he asked.

The boy nodded with eyes that reminded Damien of Victorian post-mortem photographs. 'You should be more careful with your toy.' Damien said, handing over the ball. The little boy happily accepted it, holding the toy with his small, fat hands like it was a sacred relic.

'Franklin!' a female voice could be heard saying in the back of the train cabin. When the boy turned around in alertness, Damien realized that the voice must belong to his mother. 'Get back here, don't bother that man!' The little boy ran back to his mother without even thanking Damien, the little brat.

Damien decided to not remember this moment for in the future and stared back at the landscape outside. Soon it would be afternoon and there would be a chance the temperature would increase; he should enjoy the coolness in here for now, knowing that the summer heat would remind him of the most precious memory he possessed. It had taken place many years ago, but sometimes, it still felt like it was only yesterday.

The magical summer of 1881... the summer that had formed his future.

Damien was born in 1862 as the son of a respected teacher at a high-class university. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to know his mother; the unlucky woman had passed away during childbirth. Arthur Sandow, whose profession made it almost impossible for him to spend any time with his son, gave the governess who lived with them the task to fill in the empty mother-role the little boy missed in his life. And Damien had to say, she had done a wonderful job; his childhood was marked with children stories, attention, proper education that suited a child of his age and proper food. When he became older, his father thought it was time he received the finest education he could offer his son, which would result into the man he was to this day. Damien didn't have too many friends as a child, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it at all; he would rather spend his days reading the stories and poets of the biggest names in the literature by that time than playing outside with children of his age.

It was in the summer of 1881, the summer he would never forget, that Damien turned nineteen years old. Arthur finally found some free time to celebrate the birthday of his son, inviting his colleagues and friends to visit them in the large garden of the mansion. Damien had always preferred talking to adults than to his peers, as they seemed to be more on his level. As he shared conversations with the guests about to which university he was planning to study at in the future, views on the industrial world and politics, he would never expect the angels to descend to the Earth, visit the party and leave one of their own kind behind... because when he turned around, he spotted the girl that would influence his life for as long he lived.

Her name was Elizabeth Bettencourt; if Damien had to write a story and name the female protagonist, that would exactly be the name he would give her. Even though many years had passed, he could still exactly remember how she looked like. Golden blonde hair, green eyes, and a pale skin that made the soft red blush that was always present on her cheeks look even more beautiful. She was born in France, but moved to the United States with her parents at the tender age of four. Her father recently started working at the same university as Damien's after teaching at other universities around the country. When she greeted him, Damien could still hear a hint of her native language in her voice. It turned out Arthur and Elizabeth's parents were so close that he invited them to stay over at their place for a few days, much to Damien's delight. This gave the two teenagers plenty enough time to be together, the young Damien even found himself putting his books to rest to be with Elizabeth more often. She was eighteen years old, just one year younger than him. Her interests were art, poetry, stories, politics, nature and music. She wanted to become an opera singer when she would grow up. She had been nothing more but kind and polite to Damien.

And then, before he could realize it, Damien fell hopelessly in love with Elizabeth.

He had never felt anything like this for any woman before, the way she made him feel kept him awake at night, unable to close his eyes without seeing her beautiful face in the darkness. She was his first love and he wished her to be the one and only woman in his life, his bride, his wife. Not knowing how she would react to his affections, Damien kept his romantic feelings for her as a secret.

Then, on the evening before the Bettencourts would return to their mansion, Damien decided he had enough of keeping his mouth shut; he wanted to let Elizabeth know about his feelings, before this opportunity would be wasted. Together with her, he managed to slip away from the watchful eyes of their parents and ventured into the woods not far away from the mansion. There, with the moon, stars and trees as his silent witnesses, Damien confessed everything to her without any hesitation. He would never forget the way she smiled upon hearing those words, telling him she had been feeling about him the same way. It was the first time he kissed a girl that night; on that same night, the two teenagers also experienced the pleasures of the flesh for the first time as well. Damien would always remember Elizabeth's trembling voice when she whimpered in pleasure, the trickle of sweat that ran down her temple, her arching back when she reached the highest point. After that, they had officially become secret lovers.

Nobody knew about their secret relationship, nobody knew what they had done in the woods when Elizabeth left with her parents the next morning. Elizabeth's departure didn't do anything to stop the relationship. Before she left, she and Damien had promised each other to write every day. And the two lovers loyally kept that promise. Over the course of the following weeks, Damien and Elizabeth traded numerous letters. As soon as one of them received a letter from the other, a new letter would be written that very same day. Looking forward to Elizabeth's letters was the sun that was shining upon Damien's life. Her letters contained the kindest words, the most beautiful poetry, the most hopeful look on the future. According to Elizabeth, she could already imagine it all; they would be married, own a gorgeous mansion with a garden full of flowers, have children that were just as bright as their father, she would be an opera singer and Damien would be a teacher. Everything seemed to be set in stone for the two lovers...

But then, one day, Damien stopped receiving letters from Elizabeth.

At first he didn't think too much off it, assuming that she had been busy lately with her own education. But as the days went on, a sickening feeling developed inside his stomach, as if he had eaten something rotten. Did something happen to his beloved? Did her parents find out about the relationship? While Damien continued with his daily life, the worry about something awful happening to Elizabeth was always present in the back of his head. He had nobody to talk about it, he was on his own to handle with this. The sickening feeling was almost suffocating him.  
Then he finally received the answer to all of his questions.

His father came into his room, asking him to lay down his book for a moment. With a solemn look on his face, he broke the news to Damien. Elizabeth had died in an accident, along with her parents. They were on their way in their carriage to a play at night, when something spooked the horse, causing the carriage to crash against a tree and kill them on impact.

Damien had never cried this much during those dark days. Nothing could comfort him, nothing could ease his pain. He had cried himself to sleep on countless nights, waking up with his head resting on a soaking wet pillow and his eyes puffy and red. It felt like he had been left all alone in this world to handle his grief. He refused to believe that Elizabeth was dead, but it was the harsh reality. Only in his dreams she was still alive, smiling at him and telling him how much she loved him. But as time went on, Damien realized he couldn't spend his life like this. There was still a future for him, but the fact that he had to go through that without Elizabeth, hurt him beyond belief. Only after three months of immense grieving, Damien was able to continue with his life... but Elizabeth would never leave his heart.

Even to this day, while sitting in a train cabin on his way to his destination, Damien refused to forget the first woman he ever loved.


	2. Preferences

**Chapter 2**

 **Preferences**

'Excuse me, sir?'

As if Damien hadn't heard her the first time, the lady who had been offering tea to the other passengers in the train, gently tapped him on his shoulder with her thin, pale finger. Damien looked up from his book in mild annoyance. She just had to interrupt him while he was reading a rather exciting part, the nerve of that woman.

'Do you want some tea?' the lady asked. 'It's almost afternoon.'

Damien didn't reply immediately, but instead glanced at his fellow passengers for a moment. It seemed like they had already accepted the fresh cup of tea, still having a conversation while often taking sips. This was indeed a train for the wealthy. Now that Damien thought about it, this showed exactly how the two worlds that existed in this society looked like today; while these people, who most likely were the owners of goldmines and jewelry stores or had inherited all the money from a deceased family member, indulged in the hot drink without a care in the world, laborers in the slums of the cities were crying out in hunger while their empty stomachs were slowly rotting away. It was a cruel world indeed, but life is not fair to anyone. It was one of the few valuable life lessons Damien had learned from his late father.

'I don't see why not.' Damien replied. 'Yes, please. And I'd like two sugar cubes in it.'

After he had received the small cup with tea, Damien glanced at the lady one more time before she headed towards the next passenger. Judging from her looks, Damien assumed that she was one of the few women who were just lucky enough to not end up selling their bodies on the streets to make a living. She looked like she was in her late twenties... definitely too old to be an angel.

Taking a sip of his tea, Damien tried to concentrate on his book again, but the thought of the lady not being fit to be one of those precious angels prevented him of continuing to read. He wondered if there were any angels outside of New York. The chance was very likely, but would he have any time to admire those girls once he would be hired?

Elizabeth had to be one of those angels, only returning to her original form once she had tragically died. After her death, Damien was convinced that angels did live on this Earth filled with pollution and fine arts, taking the forms of young women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one; they would only go back to their original forms as soon as their human bodies became lifeless. He had never forgotten Elizabeth, he refused to ever forget her. She would always be the queen of all angels to him.

One particular incident after Elizabeth's untimely death cemented Damien's belief that they would always be connected in one way. It was raining at the cemetery on the day that the Bettencourts would be lied down into their eternal resting place, the angels who were still residing in Heaven cried their hearts out for the loss of their queen. Damien remembered that he barely felt anything when the coffins of Jacques and Bella Bettencourt were lowered into the family's grave, but as soon as he saw that Elizabeth's coffin was about to be joined with her parents, he was almost blinded by his own tears. But then, a small, white butterfly had found the courage to venture through the rain alone. It landed on Elizabeth's coffin before it would fly towards the grieving Damien and rest on his shoulder. That moment would always be engraved into his mind, until the day he would join Elizabeth as well.

It would later unfold that Elizabeth's death did not only have a huge impact Damien's life... but it also impacted his love life as well.

At the age of twenty-five, six years after the tragic events, Damien was offered to work as a teacher at an university in London, England. Arthur Sandow was more than pleased with this offer, believing that he had raised the son he had always dreamed of. Damien had gladly accepted the offer, pleased that years of study had finally paid off. And thus he traveled across the sea to England, where he settled down in the wealthiest neighborhood in London. Damien became a well-respected gentleman in the neighborhood, as well as the university he worked at. All of the students were boys and they were quite surprised that they would have an American teacher for the first time; never had they heard a teacher speaking without the always classy British accent. However, nobody knew what was brewing inside Damien...

He had tried, he really did. He tried to find the beauty of women with wide hips, a thick layer of make-up, large breasts and curly hair that wasn't natural. He rarely sought pleasure in the flesh of those women, only if he had been alone for too long. All of the women he had been with would leave him in a matter of weeks, realizing that the man they thought was attracted wasn't interested in them at all. All of those relationships had turned into complete failures, but to be honest, Damien would always feel relieved when he saw his former lovers leaving in a carriage with their suitcases filled with their belongings and the expression of bitterness and disappointment on their faces. He was alone, but he didn't mind it; at least he would have his fantasies to keep him company.

Damien's heart should have been desiring the bodies of women around his age, but instead, it desired the sweet, innocent, beautiful looks of young women between the delicate ages of eighteen and twenty-one. Did this mean that Damien would instantly fall in love with every single girl who happened to be between those ages? No, of course not. If that had been the case, he would've gone raving mad already. Their beauty and personalities had to match those of an angel, which was why he chose to refer those girls to those divine creatures. And it was all because of Elizabeth, he knew that, and he was forever grateful for that. This showed that Elizabeth was not the only angel who had been roaming this world. There were more of her kind, waiting for Damien to find them and be a part of their lives. In his dreams, those angels would call out to him, offering him solace and companionship for all eternity, with Elizabeth as their queen, sitting in the distance on her golden throne, decorated with all kinds of jewels, watching with a gentle smile on her face as Damien had found himself in paradise.

The passionate thoughts of claiming one of those angels as his bride and lover kept Damien awake at some nights. He would endure it for a long while, until he couldn't keep it down anymore and leave his house to go to the Whitechapel District. He would look at the women who were offering themselves for a few coins, some of them were too voluptuous, others were as thin as a skeleton. Angels didn't exist in the Whitechapel District, Damien had thought at first. None of those prostitutes had the looks to tame Damien's desires, resulting in him to go home with more sleepless hours and disappointment. But one night, when he couldn't hold back his desires anymore and decided to visit the Whitechapel District once again to find satisfaction, he had finally found what he was looking for.

Her name was Alice. She was a nineteen-year old angel with long red hair, pale skin and grey eyes; she looked surprisingly a little bit more well-fed than her fellow prostitutes. For a doable amount of money, Damien had unleashed his desires on her for many nights in the prostitute's old bed. However, Alice did not only act as his only source of satisfaction. She also kept him company after they were done, staying awake and having rather pleasant conversations with Damien. She talked about her poverty-stricken family back on the countryside, her father that was too ill to work, her four older brothers she shared a close relationship with and her mother who had once been a prostitute as well. Alice dreamed of working in a boutique one day, but Damien thought she was being way too naive in that. He even thought for a while that Alice might have had romantic feelings for him. But as pleasant as those conversations were, it all came to an end one night. Damien had gone to the Whitechapel District yet again, but Alice was nowhere to be found. When he asked about her whereabouts to her colleagues, they informed him that Alice had gone back to the countryside, without telling him about it. That little bitch... Damien had never forgiven her for this rudeness. It had been the first time he had been deceived by an angel.

Five years after Alice's sudden department, Damien was in for yet another surprise; his father showed up on his doorstep with a suitcase in his hand, having traveled all the way from the United States to England without letting his son know about this, announcing that they had an important matter to discuss. Inside, at the table with two cups of fresh tea, it became clear what had been bothering Arthur Sandow for many years. The fact that his son hadn't married a proper, wealthy woman yet so that he could continue the Sandow legacy frustrated him beyond belief. Since Damien hadn't found a woman to marry, he decided to pick a candidate for his marriage himself. It was a woman from around Damien's age, her family was just as wealthy as the Sandows were. But Damien had refused all of this without a single hesitation, he was not going to marry a woman he had never met before just for the money and the children, his heart belonged to the angels in the world, but of course he didn't tell that part to his father. Because of this, the situation escalated in the blink of an eye. It had been the first time Damien had been fighting with his father; the walls felt like they were trembling due to the loud, angry voices. In his rage, a seething Arthur had thrown a teacup, which was still filled with tea, to the ground and while still cursing his only son, he grabbed his suitcase and left the house. A trip to England completely wasted.

It would last three years before Damien would hear anything from his father again. He received a letter from his former governess, in which he was informed that his unfortunate father had passed away in his sleep and that he had to travel back to the United States to collect his inheritance. But once Damien arrived in his motherland, it turned out that his father had never forgiven him for not marrying a woman he didn't love. In his final act of revenge, he disowned his only son, denying him the mansion and the money. Of course this felt like treachery for Damien, he had never expected his father to do something like this. But it seemed like fate also wanted to punish him for being true to himself, for choosing those lovely angels above earthly women; during his stay in the United States, Damien received two letters. One that contained the harrowing news of the bank he had deposited his money at had caught fire, thus burning all the money he had saved during the years, along with the money of other unfortunate customers; the other letter informed Damien that his house had been set ablaze by four men who according to eyewitnesses had managed to escape before the police could arrive. Those men had to be Alice's older brothers, Damien was convinced about that.

Thanks to all of this misfortune, he was stuck. He had no money, no home and he couldn't stay in his father's mansion for much longer. What he needed was work, and fast. Luckily, a friend of a friend of a friend of his late father, visited him one day with the wonderful news that a rich man called Frederick Lancaster, the owner of a couple of factories in New York, was searching for a new butler. The profession of a butler did have a certain ring to Damien; at least it would be better than working in the mines or tiling heavy cobblestones in the streets. And if this Frederick Lancaster was rich, then he would pay him well for sure.

And that's why Damien was sitting in his train, heading towards New York. He had read the address of the Lancaster mansion over and over again, he pretty much knew it without reading it. He had traded letters with Frederick, who promised him he would pick him up at the train station. It wouldn't last long anymore before he would arrive on his destination. Hopefully Frederick wouldn't waste this entire trip by rejecting him.

But it was not only that what Damien hoped for... he also hoped that angels would also be present in New York.


	3. Lady Madeline

**Chapter 3**

 **Lady Madeline**

When Damien was about to reach the end of the story he had been reading for most of the trip, he suddenly felt the train slowing down more and more, along with the screeching sound of the brakes; the noise reminded him of the shrieks of lost souls being unable to move on to Heaven. Looking up, he saw that the untouched landscape outside had been replaced with a sea of people on a concrete platform. Dozens of voices mixed with footsteps could be heard through the window. Damien closed the book and let out a soft sigh. At last, he had arrived in New York.

His fellow passengers realized this as well, getting up from their seats and reaching for the luggage racks to collect their belongings. Damien spotted Franklin, the little boy with the post-mortem eyes who had dared to snap him out of his thoughts with his ridiculous toy, standing next to his mother who was also busy with grabbing her suitcase. He was still holding his little red ball, Damien was convinced that the brat would be more careful while playing with it next time.

Now that Damien thought about it, he should be getting ready as well. He stood up and retrieved his two suitcases that were filled with the clothes and items he had taken with him when he had left England and his beloved easel, which he had used for his paintings for so many years, which he clenched underneath his arm. One by one, the passengers exited the train cabin, Damien heard that some of them were immediately greeted with cheerful exclamations and happy sobbing. Finally it was his turn to exit; stepping outside, he immediately could smell coal mixed heavy smoke, which wasn't very unusual to smell in these times.

The crowd of people at the train station were a mixture of the two worlds in this society. While the rich, who were clean, well-dressed and well-fed, were leaving the crowded station and heading towards the next train they had to catch, the poor, who only had old lumps as their clothing, desperately attempted to earn some money to feed themselves and their families by sitting on the hard ground, reaching out with their dirt-stained hands whenever a wealthy person would pass them by, their sunken, hollow eyes expressing more and more when they were denied what they needed so much. Looking around, Damien noticed that there were no angels on the train station of New York. A chilling thought almost made him shiver; what if there weren't any angels in New York? Perhaps they had all died in the gutters of the streets with mangy rats gnawing on their bodies, their invisible wings fallen off and withering away...

Damien shook his head. There was no time to think about that just yet; first he had to find Frederick Lancaster. But where could he possibly be? He had never seen the man before, he didn't even know how he looked like. He felt like such a fool not to ask Frederick to send a photograph of himself with one of the letters... As Damien walked around the train station in search of this mysterious Frederick Lancaster, he dearly hoped that he wouldn't have to spend the night on the cobblestone road in front of the huge building, along with the several other unfortunate souls who resided in New York. But then, it seemed like luck was on his side for once. A hand on his shoulder made Damien look behind him; as soon as he did, he was looking at the face of a man in his late fifties, with neatly combed silver hair and a thin mustache that matched his hair color. Judging by his clean, expensive clothing, he must've been filthy rich.

'Excuse me sir, do you happen to be Damien Sandow?' the man asked.

Thank God, he was saved from a night of sleeping in the dirty streets. Damien nodded. 'Frederick Lancaster, I assume?'

'You've got that correct.' Frederick replied. A small grin spread across his face, deepening the lines on his face. 'Welcome to New York, Damien. I guess the train stations in London must be just as crowded as the train stations in the United States, so you must be used to crowded situations like this.'

But before Damien could reply to that blunt conclusion, his future employer started talking again. 'Come, let us go outside. The carriage is waiting for us.'

Frederick guided Damien through the sea of the wealthy and the poor, like a mute would lead a blind man. Damien couldn't help but often glance at his suitcases, in the fear of thieves who thought stealing would be more effective than begging would get their hands on his belongings and sell it for a way cheaper price in shady alleys. But thankfully, no thief was thinking of robbing Damien Sandow of his last belongings today. They finally reached the exit of the train station, but unfortunately the crowdedness wasn't any less outside. Carriages were driving up and down the streets of cobblestone, a paperboy was shouting at the top of his polluted lungs for people to read the latest news, people of all classes were entering or exiting stores and walking down the streets. Looking around, Damien was unable to spot one single angel, which only fueled the fear of angels being extinct in New York.

'Ah, there it is!' Frederick said upon spotting the carriage. You could see that the carriage had been recently cleaned, there was not a single spot of dirt on the bordeaux-red paint. The two men stepped inside and sat down on the velvet seats; Damien had to admit that it smelled a lot cleaner in the carriage than the air outside. Once Damien had put down his suitcases and easel, Frederick signaled the coachman to start riding. The coachman, a man who must've been lucky enough to escape a dreary life from the slums of New York, nodded. Seconds later, a snap followed and the carriage started to move forward.

'How was your trip, Damien?' Frederick asked. 'I certainly it didn't tire you out too much.'

'It was fine.' Damien replied in all honesty. 'It had been a long journey, but I'm happy to be able to say now that I'm glad that it's over and that I'm here.'

'Ah yes, you had to travel from far, I remember. How is it over-'

Suddenly, the men were rudely interrupted by small, dirty hands slapping on the window of the carriage, leaving brown handprints on it. Three faces of boys who had to be five, seven and ten years old respectively, covered in grime and wearing filth-stained faces, appeared in front of the window, their faces gaunt from starvation. It was very likely that the three were brothers. They tried their best to keep up with the carriage.

'Please give us some money, sir!' One of the boys cried out. Upon closer inspection, Damien could see that the remaining teeth in the boy's mouth had become brown and rotten, just like all the other teeth the poor had in New York. 'We are so hungry! Please be generous to us and-'

Then the smallest boy tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground with a painful thud. His brothers stopped running to attend to their youngest brother, but Frederick didn't seem to feel any empathy for the poor children. Instead, it looked like he was more concerned about the now tainted cleanliness of the carriage.

'Ugh, look at what those miserable brats have done to the window!' he exclaimed in disgust, wrinkling his nose in contempt. 'I just had it cleaned this morning! How dare they! They should throw rats like them in jail, where they belong and let them rot away. Don't you agree, Damien?'

'Hmm.' To be honest, Damien had never actually thought about what the government had to do with poor people. They were just one of the many who were unfortunate in life, that's how he thought about it. No, he had more important things on his mind... like finding that one angel he could make his bride and lover.

A while later, the two men left the brewing, polluted New York behind them and the landscape that had once been decorated with large buildings and streets of cobblestone made place for tall grass and mountains in the distance. For some reason, Damien felt relieved that the Lancaster family hadn't settled down in the city; if he would be forced to spend his time as a butler in the pollution and filth, he would definitely go raving mad. And if it would indeed turn out that there were no angels to offer him love and solace, he was bound to be send to the asylum, where doctors in stainless white outfits would be more than glad to lobotomize him.

'I can see that you are enjoying the view, Damien.' Frederick suddenly said. 'I have to say, I adore the landscape as well. I only want to reside in the finest places, I don't even want to think of living in that stinking hellhole of a city. No, you would have to be a fool to live there.'

For once, Damien had to agree with the man. If you wished to die before you'd reach the age of fifty, the city would definitely be the perfect place for you to live in. The progress of the industry of the 19th century came with a huge price, Damien had seen that by now. London hadn't been that much better either; whenever he would head towards his work at the university, the streets would also be littered by the poor, often asking him for money or lying in the gutter on the brink of an agonizing death by starvation. If it hadn't been for Frederick looking for a new butler, Damien might've joined those people anytime soon.

Less than fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the destination Damien had been hoping to reach during his entire journey. So it was true what they said; the Lancasters were filthy rich, maybe even more rich than his late father was. The mansion, which had clearly been designed by a British architect, almost resembled a small castle, painted in an almost painful shade of white. In front of the Lancaster mansion, a huge garden, which was split in two by the drive, contained nothing else but blood red roses; it would possibly take an eternity to take care of all those flowers. This was a location where everybody, rich or poor, would love to live. Damien had to admit, it looked absolutely incredible. But it wasn't confirmed yet that this would be his workplace; he had yet to be accepted as the new butler.

The carriage stopped in front of the stairs that were leading to the front door. Almost immediately, the wooden doors opened and a young woman with long brown hair, brown eyes and a sun kissed skin stepped outside. Judging from the long black dress and the white apron she was wearing, Damien immediately assumed that she was the maid and that she was possibly of Italian descent.

'Welcome home, Master Frederick.' the maid said when Frederick opened the door of the carriage. 'How did it go? Is this the new butler?'

'I can't say that just yet.' Frederick replied, slightly hurried. 'Be a good girl and grab his suitcases, will you?'

'But of course.'

The maid entered the carriage and grabbed the suitcases, doing what she was told to do. She turned her head and faced Damien. The corners of her mouth curled into a small, yet somehow seductive smile. 'Hello there. My name is Nikki Bella, I'm the maid here in this mansion.'

Damien nodded. So his assumption that she was of Italian descent had been right after all... 'Damien Sandow, pleasure to meet you.' The polite answer was all he would give to the maid; she was too old to be an angel.

'Nikki, I would appreciate it if you would stop dawdling and do your work.' Frederick said, mildly disgruntled by the small talk.

Even from the inside, the Lancaster mansion looked incredible. Damien had to say that the dark blue tiled floor of the main hall looked just as clean as the carriage was before it was ruined by those boys, there was not a single spot of filth. A large golden chandelier was attached to the ceiling watched over them, waiting for its candles to be lightened up at nighttime. The paintings on the wall had to be painted by the finest artists in the country.

'Nikki, I want you to bring Damien's suitcases to his bedroom. Come to my office when you are done, do you understand?' Frederick said as they went up the stairs.

'Yes, Master Frederick.' Nikki obediently replied and turned as soon as they reached the second floor, heading to the bedroom where Damien would be kept awake by his lustful fantasies of his precious angels.

The two men entered the office, where numerous bookcases stacked with books from all ages were placed against the walls like silent guards. Frederick offered Damien to sit down in front of his desk, where a pile of paperwork waited to be sorted out.

'Let's get to the point at once here.' Frederick said when he sat down. 'I have read all of your letters and I have to admit... I'm quite impressed with your accomplishments, Damien. Teaching students in England for eight years, a proper background and fine manners... that is quite outstanding in my eyes.'

'Thank you, mister Lancaster.' Damien replied.

'But then I wonder... what are you doing here? Why are you here? Why do you want to work for this family?'

'Because...' Damien decided to be honest. 'Due to some... differences in our opinions, my father, Arthur Sandow...'

'Ah yes, Arthur Sandow. I have heard of that man's passing. A brilliant man. God bless his soul.'

'He disowned me because of those differences. I have been denied his property and I've lost my house and money back in England.'

'Good God... it looks like fate had decided to turn its back on you, Damien.'

Right on that moment, the door opened and Nikki the maid, who had apparently done what she had been told to do, walked towards the desk and stood next to Frederick.

'So do you think you have what it takes to be a butler, Damien?' Frederick asked. 'Do you think you can handle all the responsibilities?'

'Of course, mister Lancaster.' Damien replied. 'During my eight years of stay in London, I had never thought for a single moment of hiring a maid. I have done all my own cooking and cleaning. I am a grown man, I am able of taking all those responsibilities by myself.'

'Hmm...' For a brief moment, Frederick fell silent and stared at the paperwork on his desk, as if he was considering about his answer. Then he looked up. 'Well, I suppose it would be a waste to let a man who has such fine accomplishments walk away. Very well, you are hired.'

Damien smiled in confidence and nodded. 'Thank you very much.'

'For today, I shall let you rest since you have traveled for so long. Tomorrow your first day as a butler of the Lancaster family will start. You will cook, clean, take care of the gardens, assist me and you will refer to me as 'Master' or 'Master Frederick.' Do you understand?'

'Yes. Again, thank you very much.'

'Now, Nikki...' Frederick said, now focusing his attention on the maid. 'I want you to show Damien around the mansion. Don't bore him while doing so. I still have a lot of work to do here.' But before Nikki could reply, Frederick reached out with his hand, making sure Damien wouldn't see what he was about to do. His hand found what it had been looking for; the rich man didn't hesitate to firmly squeeze the behind of the maid. Nikki blinked her eyes in surprise and slightly blushed, but managed to suppress a chuckle just in time.

'Of course, Master Frederick.' she replied.

Along with Nikki, Damien exited the office, where Frederick would resume the work he had to put down before he headed off to the train station. 'Let's begin with the most beautiful part of the mansion.' the maid said, the light red blush still fresh on her cheeks. 'The garden. Follow me, I think a man like you would absolutely love it.'

'Let's see about that, shall we?'

They reached the lower floor and headed to the backdoor at the end of the main hall, which would lead to the garden. Through the small windows of the backdoor, Damien could already see some of the flowers. Red roses, just like the flowers in the garden in front of the mansion; he assumed that Frederick had a thing for these kind of flowers. Nikki opened the door and they walked outside, almost immediately greeted by tweeting birds in the distance, the warm light of the sun and a sea of red petals and green leafs.

And then, without a single warning, Damien's heart was set ablaze in the blink of an eye, almost taking his breath away.

There, kneeling in front of a rosebush, an angel had been waiting for him to arrive. When the young woman turned around in surprise, Damien felt like the world around him had stopped existing; it was only him, this angel and the sea of roses. Dear God in Heaven, father of all angels... Elizabeth had come back to him. The angel had the same graceful, wavy, long golden hair, the same emerald green eyes who were burned into his soul for all eternity, the same rose red lips he had kissed on that one night, the same slender body he had made love to on that very same night; though the only thing that distinguished this angel from Elizabeth was her skin tone, which wasn't as pale as Elizabeth's. When she stood up, Damien saw that she was wearing a blue dress with puff sleeves and light blue frills sewn on the bottom of the sleeves and the skirt of her dress, adding more beauty and innocence to her already angelic appearance.

'Who is this man, Nikki?' the angel asked. Oh dear God, her voice... Damien would forever be condemned to hear that pure voice in all of his dreams. It didn't have the faint French accent like Elizabeth's voice had, but it was just as beautiful. 'Is he a friend of father?'

'This is Damien. He is the new butler.' Nikki explained.

'Oh, I see... Well, in that case...' The angel walked towards Damien with a friendly smile on her face. With each step she was taking, Damien thought his heart was going to explode if she was going to get any closer to him. Then she stood in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes. From the outside, Damien looked calm and collected, but from the inside he wanted to fall on his knees, embrace her and never let her go.

'I am Madeline. Madeline Lancaster.' the angel said. 'Welcome to the mansion. I hope you will enjoy working as the butler here.'

Madeline... If Damien was able to take out his still-beating heart and engrave that name in it, he would do that. Ma. De. Line. He could say that over and over again. When Madeline shook hands with him, he was finally able to say something.

'Pleased to meet you, Lady Madeline.'

Pleased to meet you, my bride. Pleased to meet you, my lover. Pleased to meet you, my angel.


	4. Under My Watchful Eye

**Chapter 4**

 **Under My Watchful Eye**

Usually a perfectly normal human being would be able to fall asleep almost immediately after traveling for more than a full day, but in Damien's case, he barely had any sleep that night. Because he knew that if he dared to close his eyes, he would see her face again. But then again, even if his eyes remained open, he could perfectly see the mental image of Madeline's angelic face.

Madeline, Madeline, Madeline... if he would have an empty book and a pencil, he would write that name over and over again on every page, until there was no more space to write anymore and his numb hand would fall off. For a brief moment he was convinced that she was the reincarnation of Elizabeth, but that wouldn't make sense, since Elizabeth was still alive around the time that Madeline was born; she was born in 1877. According to Nikki, Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster was the only daughter of Frederick and that she was the legitimate heir of the wealthy Lancaster family. She would turn eighteen this year, thus she would be old enough to inherit the mansion, the factories her father owned and, let's not forget, all of the money. Dear God... seventeen years old, and already blessed with the beauty of an angel and the honor of setting Damien's heart on fire with that same flame that had been extinguished years ago upon hearing the news that changed his life. Damien would forever be grateful for that. With one look, the angel had managed to make him feel that familiar flame in his heart again.

No matter how many times he tossed and turned in his bed, Damien was unable to fall asleep. The sheets contained the fresh smell of lavender, he was sure that he would even smell it in his dreams. The bedroom that had been given him had to possibly the smallest room in the mansion. It looked simple, but it was good enough for Damien; he had heard stories of former butlers and maids who were forced to sleep in way more foul-looking bedrooms, where mice would emerge from holes in the walls at night and the sheets of the beds would only be washed once a month. It looked like the Lancasters were planning on treating their staff better than those other families. The bedroom was clean, like everything else in the mansion. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a chair, a nightstand, a bookcase and a large mirror, which was already enough for Damien. All the furniture were antique, anyone from the lower classes wouldn't dare to touch them. Damien's easel had been put in the far right corner in the back of the bedroom, where it acted as an inanimate witness to his owner's sleeplessness.

Damien couldn't help but often glance at the door in the hope of his angel deciding to pay him a little nightly visit, clad in a maidenly white nightgown and her golden wavy hair slightly tangled, to sneak into the bed and kiss his eyelids to lay him to sleep. But alas, it looked like Lady Madeline was sound asleep by this time. Miraculously, Damien managed to get some sleep, but that only happened after tossing and turning in bed for what almost seemed like an eternity. And just like he expected, he saw his beloved Madeline in his dreams, kneeling in front of the rosebushes. An angel in her kingdom of roses... Damien couldn't imagine nothing more beautiful than that.

The next morning, upon hearing the crowing of a rooster that possibly belonged to some farmer who lived a few kilometers away from the mansion, his new life as the butler of the Lancaster family started. With his eyes mildly stinging due to the lack of proper sleep and clad in the dark blue bathrobe he would almost religiously wear each morning after waking up, Damien made his way to the kitchen, where Nikki had just finished making a pan full of fresh porridge. Sitting down at the long, oak dinner table in the dining room, the new butler had to admit; the maid knew how to make some tasty food. Much to his disappointment, Madeline wasn't present to eat breakfast with him. Was she still sleeping? That was likely. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the new butler could imagine the fair, young, beautiful Lady Madeline still asleep in her bed, with her lips still as red as a rose and her eyes closed. Oh, how much he would give to gain access to her bedroom, walk to her bed, lean over and kiss her awake; Madeline Lancaster, the Sleeping Beauty, Damien Sandow, the Prince. But Damien decided to let his angel have the sleep she needed.

After he finished eating the rather delicious breakfast, Damien brought his porridge-stained bowl and spoon to the kitchen, where he had the politeness to clean them before putting them back on the places where they should be. As he went up to stairs to go back to his bedroom, he was greeted by Frederick, who was about to go down to get his breakfast.

'Good morning, Damien.' he said with a small hint of sleepiness still in his voice. 'Did you get plenty of sleep last night?'

'Yes, mister Lancaster.' Damien lied. But upon seeing the slight disapproving look on his employer's face, he realized the mistake he had made. 'I mean... yes, Master Frederick. Pardon me for that.' he corrected.

Frederick slowly nodded, perhaps reconsidering to punish the new butler for making his first mistake. 'Very well. You shall need the rest you got yesterday for the chores you shall do today. Now hurry up, don't waste any time. Get dressed, don't wander around here wearing that bathrobe!'

'Of course, Master Frederick.'

Back inside his bedroom, Damien opened his wardrobe and retrieved a white blouse, black waistcoat and black trousers; the typical standard outfit for any butler in this era. While putting on his new clothes, Damien smelled the same whiff of lavender that he smelled on his sheets. The butler looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had never thought it would ever come to this... a teacher of a university turned into a mere butler. But if this would keep him off the streets, then it had some worth after all. Damien remembered considering leaving as soon as he had enough money to buy himself a new housing, but now that he had crossed paths with Lady Madeline... he was willing to spend an eternity in this mansion.

Dusting the furniture, that was simple enough; because after all, Damien had been cleaning his house in London by himself for many years. No, he wasn't going to let a complete stranger clean his house. He would do that, even if he would be worn out after teaching for an entire day. After he had finished washing the dishes, Frederick ordered his freshly hired butler to dust every single piece of furniture in the mansion. Damien made sure he wouldn't skip anything. And so, with an old cloth that must've been used to clean the house with for many years, Damien dusted every piece of antique furniture in every single room in the mansion, making sure the smallest piece of dust wouldn't be left behind. It took him almost a full hour to complete this chore, his arm was feeling slightly sore, but the fact that this chore also gave him access to Madeline's bedroom made all of this worthwhile.

The angelic peach had forgotten to make her bed, but Damien was more than glad to do this for her. While dusting off the large bookcase, the butler saw that most of the books that were stocked in there were written by the greatest poets and writers of this era... The refined angel! For a brief moment, Damien imagined how Madeline would look like while reading those books. Sitting amongst the roses in the garden, with her eyes taking the time to read the words that were written on the pages and a relaxed smile decorating her beautiful face... Damien could almost swear that he could feel his heart melting.

He was almost done with dusting. Damien was cleaning a small table in the main hall when he heard voices coming from the living room. It were two voices; one of a man with a British accent and one that made Damien's skin crawl in a good way. That voice belonged to his beloved Madeline. The door that led to the living room was slightly ajar, more than enough for any person to peek inside to see what was happening. Damien felt that he couldn't control himself much longer. He had to see her, even if it would last for a little while. Practically holding his breath, the butler peeked inside the living room.

His heart felt like melting once more. There she was, his angel, his love, Madeline, sitting on the dark red couch, listening to her tutor while he was teaching her about the greatest battles the ancient Romans had ever conquered. The patient tutor was in his late forties, but if you asked Damien, he looked much older than that. He had seen this man before, he had met him this morning when he showed up at the mansion to give Madeline her private lessons. He seemed to be quite surprised that Frederick had already managed to find a new butler; he introduced himself as William Regal. He claimed to have lived in England for many years before he moved to the United States to tutor the heirs of rich families. A fine man, in Damien's opinion.

But it didn't seem that William's big knowledge about history was captivating Madeline at all. She occasionally nodded, but stared most of the time at the Indian carpet that had once been a birthday gift for her father that was covering the floor. William didn't even notice her boredom, not keeping his eyes from his book for a moment. There was something so adorable about the way she would stare at the golden patterns woven into the carpet, twiddle her thumbs, blink her half-lidded green eyes, Damien couldn't exactly put his finger on it... but it made her look even more beautiful and innocent, the two most gifted traits an angel could possess.

Suddenly, as if she was feeling that a secret admirer was watching her, Madeline looked up and her eyes immediately left Damien's. Curses, did he make any noises? For a brief moment Damien wanted to walk away, but he couldn't; he felt like she had the right to know that she had caught his attention. Madeline blinked her eyes in surprise, but then curled the corners of her mouth into a friendly smile. Oh dear God, Damien swore that his heart was to explode right of his chest. He had to control himself with all the strength he had in his body to not charge into that living room and catch those rose red lips in the most loving kiss that this angel would ever experience.

'Excuse me, but who are you?' a female voice with a French accent asked him.

Damien snapped out of his burning desire and looked to his right. A woman he had never seen before had appeared next to him like a ghost, he didn't even hear her approaching him; mainly because of the almost ear-deafening sound of his heart was louder than anything else at that moment. The woman, who had to be in her late forties, had dirty blonde hair, but just like Madeline's, it was wavy. Her eyes were brown and slightly bloodshot. She was wearing a light purple dress. The woman frowned in confusion. 'I have never seen you here before...'

'I am Damien. I'm the new butler, I have started working here today.' Damien replied.

The confused woman blinked her eyes a couple of times, as if the answer had to sink into her. 'Really?' she mumbled. Then she let out a soft scoff. 'I must have slept through that... pardon me for this. I have to introduce myself to you. My name is Antoinette. I'm the wife of Frederick.'

Frederick Lancaster was a married man... Damien had never thought about that. She was nowhere to be seen when he arrived in the mansion yesterday, last night he had even come to the conclusion that the man had to be a widower.

'I... I hope you enjoy working here so far. There are many chores, but... but someone has to do it.'

There was one thing that Damien couldn't ignore about Antoinette. And that was the strong smell of wine lingering around her.


	5. Smoke And Mirrors

**Chapter 5**

 **Smoke And Mirrors**

Time flies by when you had to work all day long; Damien knew all about it. Back in his teaching days, hours would pass without him even realizing it. All day long, he had to do what was expected from a butler, from dusting all the furniture in the mansion to serving tea to Frederick and to his beloved Madeline, who had settled down in the family's private library to read. Oh, how is heart sang in joy when he saw her sitting in that comfortable leather chair! It felt like such an honor to Damien to give the angel a cup of fresh tea, this meant so little to all the other butlers out there, but for him, it meant a lot. Madeline had accepted the warm refreshment, thanking Damien for it before continuing to read her book. The grateful angel!

'Do you want any sugar in it, Lady Madeline?'

'Just a little bit. I don't like it when my tea is too sweet.'

My darling, my angel, my love, don't you see that you're the sweetest thing in existence? Damien wanted to cry out these words so badly, but he had never been the type to confess his love for an angel out of nowhere. No, only desperate fools would do something like that. For now, Damien would keep his infatuation as a secret; who knew how this angel would react if she would realize that she was the only thing on the butler's mind? Would she hide from him? Tell her father to fire him? Run away from home? Embrace him and never let him go? Admit that she was a page from Elizabeth and that her queen had send her from Heaven to give him the love he needed? It was still too early to tell. First, Damien would see how she would act around him; until now, things seemed to be favorable; so far, she had been nothing more but kind to him. The butler adored the idea of his seventeen-year old crush having these romantic feelings for him as well. But would she be attracted to a mere butler? She was still young, there was no doubt that there were boys from her age and class out there. Would they be worthy of marrying this angel in the future?

But the romantic feelings he had for Madeline was not the only thing that was in the butler's mind today; he couldn't get rid of the memory of the heavy smell of wine that had lingered around Antoinette this morning. That woman had to be Madeline's mother, Damien was sure about that. And judging by the French accent her mother possessed, his angel had to be of mixed descent. There was French blood flowing through Madeline's veins, just like Elizabeth's, dear God, she had to be her page!

At last, the sun went down and the time had come to prepare dinner for the Lancasters. Together with Nikki, Damien made sure the family would have a superb dinner. In the kitchen, they peeled the potatoes, minced the vegetables and cooked the meat. The starving poor on the streets of New York would gladly kill someone for a dinner like this, but the Lancasters probably took these meal entirely for granted, like most rich families would do.

'So how was your first day here, Damien?' Nikki asked while she checked the meat in the pan. 'Do you enjoy working for Frederick so far?'

'I have to say, I can't complain.' Damien replied. 'I can't think of anything bad he had done or said to me today.'

'Hmm...' A small smile spread across the maid's face, as if she was recollecting a pleasant memory. 'I've been working here for almost a year now. Master Frederick has never treated me badly. He has always been good for me. Very good...'

They had finished cooking dinner and carried the neatly prepared plates to the dinner room, where the Lancaster family had gathered for the feast. Before he had joined Nikki in the kitchen, Damien had already changed the table, covering it with a stainless white sheet. A single candle was lit to make the atmosphere more cozier. Much to Damien's happiness, Madeline was there too, who couldn't help but look up for a brief moment to see who was approaching the table. He hoped his angel was hungry for a nice warm meal.

'Lady Madeline... your dinner is ready.' When he leaned over to put the plate with freshly cooked meat, potatoes and vegetables in front of her, he could smell a whiff of soap coming off of her. Did she perhaps wash herself before dinner? Either way, it made everything inside Damien tingle.

'It looks delicious!' Madeline said with that same friendly smile she had given him this morning. 'Thank you, Damien.'

'You're welcome.' You're more than welcome, darling.

Just when the butler wanted to give a plate of food to Antoinette, he saw Nikki standing next to Frederick, who was sitting at the head of the table.

'Thank you very much, Nikki. You've done an outstanding job, like always...'

Damien could see it perfectly; his eyes weren't lying to him. Frederick had lifted his hand and gave the maid's behind a firm squeeze before she could walk away. Damien's jaw almost dropped at the sight. So vulgar, so shameless... he didn't have any words to describe this. This was not the well-mannered man that had picked him up from the train station yesterday, this was a perverted scoundrel! Nikki widened her eyes in surprise; Damien expected her to run away in shame, but much to his disbelief, that didn't happen. Instead, the maid let out a barely audible chuckle. And Damien could swear that he saw a small grin on her face as well.

There was no way Antoinette couldn't have seen this. She was sitting right next to her husband, she must have seen it all. But much to Damien's astonishment, Antoinette wasn't saying a word. With wide eyes, she stared at her plate for a moment, then briefly shook her head, whispered something inaudible and grabbed her wine glass that was filled with what was apparently her favorite drink; red wine. Within a few seconds, she had drank all of the wine, leaving her glass completely empty. This fueled the butler's disbelief only more; why didn't she do anything?

'Ah yes, Damien... I forgot to tell you something important.' Frederick suddenly said, as if nothing had happened. 'In this household, the butler and the maid don't dine with the family at the same table. You will have your dinner with Nikki in the kitchen. Is that clear for you?'

The butler nodded, keeping the disgust for himself. 'Yes, Master Frederick.'

'Very well. Now go, before your food will get cold. You too, Nikki.'

Before Damien left along with the maid to get their own plates, he quickly glanced over his shoulder, secretly hoping his angel hadn't seen the perverted act. Madeline had already started eating the piece of meat, as if she indeed hadn't seen anything. Thank God, Damien liked to keep onto that thought; the eyes of an angel weren't supposed to see things like this. Convinced that she was alright, Damien looked at the wall, where a new painting that had arrived today had been put on display for everyone to see. One glance at this large painting and you could see that Frederick had paid the artist lots of money to make this. It was a portrait of the Lancaster family; Frederick, Antoinette and Madeline Lancaster looked like the perfect, proper, prosperous, high-class family everyone from their class respected, maybe even feared. But who knows what they were hiding behind those nearly emotionless expressions on their faces...

Back inside the kitchen, at a small table with their food still warm, Damien couldn't hold back that one question that had been burning on the tip of his tongue. 'Would you mind explaining me what that was all about, Nikki?'

'What do you mean?' the maid asked sheepishly after swallowing down a mouthful of vegetables.

'Don't pretend like you didn't know what happened.' Damien wasn't going to buy any denial from her. 'I have seen what Frederick did to you.'

'Wait... you're saying that...'

Just before Nikki could fully express her surprise, Frederick's loud, angry voice could be heard from the dinner room. The maid abruptly stopped speaking to listen what was going on in there. Although their master clearly sounded enraged, it wasn't loud enough to exactly hear what he was shouting at his wife... or perhaps at his daughter.

'Look at you... Disgrace... How disgusting... Married with... Revolting!' Those were the only words Damien could hear, but judging from this, he could figure out that he was shouting at his wife. That vulgar man wasn't shouting at his angel, thank God. The butler was sorry for Antoinette, but he was glad that it wasn't Madeline receiving all of this verbal abuse. He couldn't believe that Madeline was forced to listen to these ugly words; for a moment, he wanted to rush back inside the dinner room and take her out of there, but he managed to control himself. Then he heard Frederick saying something else.

'Madeline... Room... Make your homework.'

Dear God, Damien couldn't control himself any longer; he wanted to know how his love was doing. Without answering to Nikki, who was asking where he was going, he got up from his seat and left the kitchen, entering the main hall. There he saw Madeline, walking up the stairs. She didn't even notice the butler standing in the door opening, she was so focused on retreating to her bedroom in the hope of escaping the verbal abuse that was still raging in the dinner room. Before she reached the second floor, Damien managed to catch one last glimpse of his angel's face.

He had never seen a young woman like her trying so hard to hold back her tears.


	6. The Roses Of The Angel

**Chapter 6**

 **The Roses Of The Angel**

Thank God for the sea of roses in this garden having a stronger smell than the nearly sickening odor of wine that hung around Antoinette like a cloud; it made Damien almost forget about that smell.

The butler had a rather pleasant night of sleep, he had to admit that. However, before he could manage to fall asleep, so many things that were bothering him kept him awake. Frederick Lancaster had taken off his mask during dinner time, that was perfectly clear for him. The rich man who had promised him work, who picked him up from the train station in New York, who had welcomed him into this huge mansion, had in fact lost all the shame a normal person should have; he had just as much shame and politeness a drunk in a British pub would have. Touching a maid's behind like that near your wife and daughter made you a poor excuse of a family man. Damien remembered his father being a widower from the moment his son had been born, but he would never think of inappropriately touching the governess. What also disturbed the butler was how Nikki responded to her master's perverted touch; he could swear to his mother's grave that he had seen her smiling.

Antoinette was in denial about what she had seen, that was obvious to Damien. Instead of saying something to her husband, she chose to escape in the vicious world of alcohol. The butler had always admired women who would stand up now and then to their husbands, he couldn't stand women who would let themselves treat like dirt. They had no self-respect, he thought that was so unattractive. Why, he wouldn't mind it if an angel would speak her mind to him.

But what kept Damien awake most of the time last night was the face of Madeline when she was heading towards her bedroom. Whenever he tried to close his eyes, it was the only thing he could see. Dear God, the pain she must've been hiding behind that beautiful face he wanted to caress and kiss so much... it was killing him on the inside. The butler had felt the urge to step out of his bed, go to his angel's bedroom and take all the pain away from her by pulling her in the most loving embrace he could give her, but he miraculously managed to control himself. Who knows how she would react if she would wake up and find the family's butler lying next to her... no, only a pervert like her father would do something like that. He wanted to respect his angel in all ways.

After the butler had made breakfast for the Lancasters, Frederick, the perverted gentleman, had given him the task to water the roses in the family's precious backyard; when he was done with that, he could go water the roses in the front yard. And so Damien was standing here, in the middle of this sea of roses like a drowning man in arctic cold sea water, with a small watering can he had to refill numerous times at the sink in the kitchen as his only tool.

Damien wasn't bothered by this chore at all, honestly. Roses had always been his favorite flowers. Elizabeth admired them as well; staring at the wet, red petals were more than enough to remember her. He hoped she would forgive him for falling in love with her page. But Elizabeth always wanted Damien to be happy during those magical days, trying her best to make him smile and steal a laugh from him. So perhaps she wanted him to be happy as well now that he was in his adult years...

Suddenly, the butler's sight on the roses were blinded by a pair of hands, covering his eyes. The oh so familiar smell of soap made every drop of blood in his body rush to Damien's head. The pleasant surprise was almost enough to cause him dropping the watering can.

'Don't turn around just yet.' that one voice that sounded like the finest music to his ears said. 'You have to guess who I am first.'

Damien curled his mouth into a small smile. 'Well, that won't be too hard for me. It's you, Lady Madeline.'

A soft chuckle was heard and Damien regained his sight. He didn't think twice of turning around. It was just like he had hoped to see; Madeline was standing right behind him with a playful smile on her face.

'You are correct in that, Damien.' his angel said. 'You deserve a raise in your pay for this.'

'Oh, you are just being too gentle, Lady Madeline.' Gentle angel, let me love you!

'Am I?' Madeline let out a soft chuckle. 'You are the first ever butler to tell me that.'

'Then those previous butler were nothing more but dense fools for not recognizing your kindness.'

But then, Damien realized something. 'Lady Madeline... aren't you supposed to attend your private lessons?'

Then Madeline's playful smile got something mischievous, something which was a very rare trait of an angel. Not all of them had it, but it fit their beings perfectly. The playfulness mixed with the mischievousness created something that made Damien's angel only more attractive to him. 'Will you promise not to tell Father about this?'

'Of course.' I'd keep any secret for you, my love.

'Very well then... I have never done this before, but... I have skipped my lessons. Mister William is so boring when he is speaking, it makes me want to fall asleep. He thinks he's so interesting, but I think he's as interesting as a piece of dust. That's why I took off... I think you look far more interesting than any of the lessons he has given me.'

Those words were more than enough to take Damien's breath away. From the inside, his heart was about to explode into a million pieces, all he wanted to do now was to fall on his knees and kiss Madeline's hands until they were raw, but he decided to contain his reserved attitude and be professional about this matter.

'Why, Lady Madeline? I'm just a mere butler for you, there could be nothing interesting about me for a fine young woman like you...'

'I think you're wrong about that, Damien. I'm pretty sure that I think that I'm interesting as well, do you? Don't deny it, I've seen you staring at me yesterday during my lessons...'

'I could tell that you were quite bored.'

'Again, you are correct in that. All I could think of was to get out of there...'

Just then, Madeline's eye fell on the freshly watered roses. 'Oh my... those roses look wonderful! Did you take care of all of them?'

'Yes, Lady Madeline.'

'That's fantastic! All those previous butlers couldn't care less about the roses, honestly, they would often crush them underneath their feet... but it looks like you do care.' Then Madeline knelt down and stared at the roses with a dreamy look in her eyes. 'Roses are my favorite flowers, they are so beautiful... Do you like roses too, Damien?'

'Oh yes, most definitely. In fact, I think they are the most beautiful flowers there are in this world.' Damien knelt down next to Madeline and placed a rosebud between his middle finger and index finger. He decided to show his angel his poetic side in an attempt to impress her. There was a big chance this tactic would work; most of the women he had a miserably failed relationship with fell for him as soon as he showed this side of him. And it was also what made Elizabeth fall in love with him.

'You see, Lady Madeline... for me, roses represent the mortality of the human being. Take a close look. Look at the petals. Do you see how pure and full of color they are?'

'Yes, I do.'

'That's how I see the youthfulness of a human. A woman, if you'd please. In her younger years, a woman is in full bloom. Over those years, she retains her beauty and shape, like a rose, as long as she is treated well. But as the woman grows older, she gets closer to dying and loses her youthfulness and beauty. Like the petals of a rose, she withers, until the day she succumbs to her mortality. But just like a rose, more roses will bloom after it dies. And the same goes for a human being. That's what roses symbolize for me.'

'My goodness...' Madeline stared at the butler, blinking her green eyes in amazement. 'That's... beautiful, Damien... I have never thought like that about roses before.' She softly chuckled. 'Now I will always think about what you said whenever I visit the garden.'

His words had reached to her; this made Damien so happy, you couldn't even imagine. Showing his poetic side to her worked, it was the perfect way to help the two bond.

'Can I stay with you for a bit longer, Damien?' Madeline asked. 'I would love to talk more with you.'

'I'm sorry Lady Madeline, I'd love to talk more with you as well, but you have to go to your lessons. I don't wish for you to get into trouble, you know. As your butler, it's my duty to look out for you.' However, that was not exactly the answer Damien wanted to give; he wanted to cry out that he wanted to stay with her for eternity, but his angel had to think about her education as well.

'Fine, you big bore.' Madeline mumbled, pouting her lower lip. For a moment, the butler thought she was serious about what she said, but as soon as he saw her mouth curling back into a smile and heard her chuckling before she turned around to leave, he realized that she was just joking. Thank goodness.

He watched his precious angel until she got back inside the mansion. Damien hoped William or Frederick wouldn't notice that she had snuck out to see him. She had skipped her classes for him, the butler realized.

She wanted to see him...

Just on that moment, a white butterfly, like the one that had appeared on Elizabeth's funeral fourteen years ago, carefully landed on one of the roses.


	7. Fate Has Its Ways

**Chapter 7**

 **Fate Has Its Ways**

Of course Damien couldn't ignore that sting of regret for sending Madeline away to attend her private lessons, but then again, he felt like his angel deserved the finest education there was. He wondered if she already had any plans of what she wanted to be once she would be a full-grown adult. A scientist? A writer? With her background, Madeline could go all ways. Maybe, with a little bit of luck and if society decided to change its attitude towards women, she could become a politician! Women who would dream of reaching such a high status would be declared fools by men, but Damien hoped from the bottom of his heart that his angel would accomplish something like that in the future. But in order to do that, she had to stick with her education; Damien only wanted the best for Madeline.

Did William already notice that his lovely pupil had snuck out? The butler certainly hoped not. He had promised Madeline not to tell her oh so loving father about her dirty little secret, he would never forgive himself if he would betray his angel. If he would do that, she would never want to speak to him again, possibly rather staying in the dinner room to listen to her father's verbal abuse towards her passive mother than going to see the family's butler. Damien's heart would break, he was sure of that. No, he was going to keep his mouth shut, for her sake.

Then, the watering can started to feel lighter than it did a while ago. A lonely drop of water escaped and landed on one of the petals of the many roses. The butler groaned in annoyance. Another trip to the sink in the kitchen, why couldn't the Lancaster construct a well or something in this sea of red and green? But a butler never complains, no matter how tough the chore can be. Damien turned around and headed to the back door, where Madeline had entered the mansion a while ago. See you in a moment, summer sun. As soon as the butler stepped inside the mansion, he felt the warmth that he had constantly felt on his back fading away, replacing it with the lukewarm temperature that lingered inside the mansion.

But just as Damien wanted to head to the kitchen, a booming voice made the walls in the mansion look they were trapped in an earthquake.

'Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster!' Frederick bellowed, storming out of his office. 'Get over here, this instance!'

The butler's heart almost skipped a beat. Oh God, what was this about?! Did he find out about what his daughter had done?! That was very likely, because Damien couldn't think of anything else what Madeline could have possibly done to unleash Frederick's wrath. Damien heard a door opening on the left side of the second floor.

'Yes, Father?' That was Madeline. It surprised the butler about how calm his angel sounded.

'Go to the living room! Now! We have to talk!'

The sound of footsteps followed and Damien spotted Madeline walking over the corridor. Her facial expression didn't match the tone of her voice, though; you could clearly see the worry on her face. She had been caught, William must've reported her mischief to Frederick, she knew that. And now she had to face the consequences.

'Come here!' Frederick hissed as soon as his daughter reached him, roughly grabbing her by the arm. 'You and I have to talk right now, young lady!' Still holding his daughter by her arm, Frederick walked down the stairs, followed by William, who exited the office. So Damien's hunch was right; the tutor must've told Frederick about this.

'What's going on here, Master Frederick?' the butler asked when the three reached the bottom of the stairs. He decided to pretend to not know anything.

'None of your business, Damien!' his employer snarled. 'This little brat here needs the punishment she deserves, you stay out of it and do your work!'

Frederick opened the door that lead to the living room and practically dragged his daughter in there. 'Sit down!' He pushed her onto the couch and glared at her, folding his arms and not keeping his eyes of her for a moment, as if he was trying to pierce through her soul with his eyes. William joined Frederick; just like him, he didn't look pleased at all. Knowing that she had been caught, Madeline stared at the ground in shame. Damien stood in the doorway, refusing to leave his angel on her own and ready to step in if the situation would get out of control.

'I have been interrupted from my work because William told me about what you have done!' Frederick shouted. 'Would you mind telling me what you have done?!'

Madeline was too afraid to look into her infuriated father's eyes, her sight seemingly glued to the ground. 'I... I didn't...'

But her tutor refused to let his disobedient pupil finish speaking. 'She had snuck out to avoid me!' William said. 'The ungrateful brat! How dare you doing this to me! I offered to tutor you and you disrespect me!'

'So this is how you repay me after everything I have offered you!' Frederick wasn't planning on allowing Madeline to leave the living room without a broken soul. 'You, young lady, are the legitimate heir of the Lancaster family! I expect from you to behave like a proper lady, not like one of those filthy whores in the slums of New York! That's how you will end up like if I disown you! A whore! Do you want that, Madeline?! I could disown you at this moment, right here, on this spot! Wenches who show no respect to their privileges don't deserve all the wealth this family possesses! Without me, you would be a failure, you hear me?! A failure! Just like your mother! You-'

Frederick abruptly stopped shouting when he heard a strange wheezing noise next to him. Damien heard it as well, it was just loud enough to eclipse the sound of his boiling blood. The sight made him frown. William was slightly hunching forward, with his hand resting on his chest and trying his best to breathe.

'William?' Frederick asked. 'What's the matter with you?'

The tutor loudly groaned in pain when a sharp jolt traveled through his entire chest. This even made Madeline look up, who put her shame aside for shock. 'Oh... oh God...' William groaned. Then he let out a soft whimper, followed by another groan. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull has dark spots started to cloud his sight. He fell forward as the world around him fell into darkness. Madeline gasped and scooted away just in time before William could fall on top of her, causing him to land on the couch.

This was bad, very bad. Damien rushed into the living room and knelt down next to William. 'William! Talk to me! Stay with us, William!' he said.

'What the hell is wrong with him?!' Frederick exclaimed in shock.

'He's having a heart attack! Trust me, I know how the symptoms look like! Quick, help me Master Frederick! I need to check his pulse!'

While Damien and Frederick desperately tried to make William regain consciousness, Madeline stared at the horrific sight, with her eyes large in shock and her body trembling.

* * *

William didn't make it. It was too late for him. He died right on the floor of the living room; fate had turned its back on the British tutor.

Damien had failed to bring him back to consciousness, no matter how hard he had tried. He had tried to find a pulse, press onto his chest, but without avail. William would forever remain in the darkness. The entire Lancaster family was shaken up by the sudden death of the tutor, it even affected Antoinette in some way. When the saddening news was brought up at the dinner table, it caught her by surprise. After blinking her eyes a couple of times in surprise, she had shaken her head and let out a sad sigh. That woman had remained ignorant of the incident this whole morning by locking herself up in her bedroom, dear God! This even astonished Damien, who wondered what in the world Antoinette was doing in her bedroom all day long. She didn't show up once today, only at dinner time. But whatever she was doing in her bedroom, the smell of red wine would always linger around her.

Damien didn't know William for a long time, but he too was rather shocked by his death. Even if he had ratted Madeline out to Frederick, he did seem like a smart man to him. It was saddening to know that the world lost one more bright human being to be replaced with yet another ignoramus. Oh, how much it had pained him to see Madeline in her utter state of shock during that day. She had barely spoken a word, but she was strong enough to not burst into tears. For the entire day, it seemed like all of her blood had drained away from her face, she looked that pale. He had asked her how she was holding up before he and Nikki were going to prepare dinner for the family. The butler would never forget the shock that still remained in her eyes, how her sweet red lips slightly trembled when she spoke to him.

'I... I have never seen somebody dying before... I don't think I will ever forget it, Damien.'

Damien was pretty sure that he wouldn't be forgetting the sight of William collapsing on the couch either.

While he was washing the dishes in the kitchen, Frederick had approached him and asked if he could see him in his office after he was done. Damien wondered what the talk was going to be about. Would he be fired and thrown on the streets for failing to save William's life? Did Frederick find out about his infatuation for his daughter? There was only one way to find out and that was to go see his employer in his office.

Inside the office, where the bookcases still reminded Damien of silent wooden guards, Frederick was standing behind his desk, staring through the large window into the darkness of the night.

'Ah, Damien, you're here. Have a seat if you'd like.' he said without looking over his shoulder.

The butler closed the door behind him and walked towards the desk, that was still covered with paperwork. Would Frederick's work ever come to an end? He sat down and stared at his employer's back for a few silent moments. Then, Frederick let out a soft sigh.

'What happened this morning was... tragic, to say the least.' he solemnly spoke. 'I've always admired William for his cleverness. A smart man, he knew what he was talking about. Very passionate about teaching too.'

Damien silently nodded.

'I've always wanted the best education for my daughter, that's why I thought William was a good tutor for her. Proper education is the key to success, it's a fact. William was a good man, but despite his death, I don't want Madeline to drop out of her studies. That's why I asked you to come here, Damien.'

Frederick turned around and looked at Damien. 'As I remember, you were a teacher in your past. Am I correct?'

'You are correct in that, Master.'

'What exactly did you teach your students back in London, Damien?'

'French, philosophy and history, Master Frederick.'

'I see... Then would you mind if you could give Madeline her private lessons, starting by the following morning?'

The butler's heart almost skipped a beat. He? Becoming Madeline's tutor? Giving his angel the education she needed? The thought of being able to be with her every single morning was almost enough to make his head feel light with euphoria. He was sorry about William, he hoped God would bless him, but this... this was the perfect opportunity to bond with Madeline even more.

'I'd be more than willing to take that task upon me. I won't disappoint you.' Damien said, retaining his calm and collected attitude, while in reality, he wanted to smile from ear to ear.

'Very well. You will start the following morning, I will inform Madeline about it. Make sure she won't ever sneak out of her lessons again, do you understand?'

'Yes, Master Frederick.'

'Excellent. You may go to your bedroom. I will see you again tomorrow.'

Damien nodded, stood up and walked towards the door while his heart was singing in joy. But just as he was about to open the door, somebody on the other side was one step ahead of him. Nikki appeared in the door opening, holding an expensive-looking teacup in her hands. Upon closer inspection, the butler saw that it was full with tea.

'I have brought you tea, Master Frederick.' Nikki said. Judging from her voice, Damien was convinced that she wasn't too shaken up by the way her employer touched her last night.

'Ah yes, my tea. Thank you Nikki. You may approach.'

Damien could once again swear to his mother's grave that he saw a small smile on the maid's face. He exited the office and closed the door behind him. A flirty giggle could be heard inside.


	8. Surprise Visit

**Chapter 8**

 **Surprise Visit**

The thought of being with Madeline every morning to teach her everything she needed refused to let Damien go to sleep. Still fully dressed in his butler outfit, he was lying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A single lit candle was the only source of light in the bedroom, he planned to snuff it out as soon as he would get sleepy. But the flame of the candle was still on. Damien knew he had to get some shut-eye, he couldn't present himself to his angel with blood-shot eyes and dark circles underneath his eyes. He had to look like the gentleman of her dreams, not like a drunk who had woken up in the filthy gutters of the streets. She would most likely be repulsed if she saw him like this, thus slimming the chances that Madeline would fall in love with him. Damien had tried to close his eyes in the hope of falling asleep, but he miserably failed. The thought of tutoring his beloved Madeline was too exciting for him.

Would Madeline be interested in what he had to say? That was very likely, now that the butler thought about it. His angel had snuck out from poor William's lessons just to see him. Plus, she seemed to be very impressed when he confessed the personal symbolism of the roses to her. The mental image of his angel's face, that beautiful face that he would do anything for to caress and kiss it, was more than enough to make Damien smile from ear to ear. He could already imagine it all; she would give him that same small, friendly smile, she would support her head on her soft hand and she would occasionally nod while blinking her green eyes. Now Damien was definitely sure that he wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon.

He sat up and looked around him. What could he possibly do to make himself sleepy? Then the butler's eye fell on his easel that Nikki had put in the corner on the day he arrived in the mansion. Art had always been a big interest for Damien, ever since he was a young child; he could stare at the paintings that were displayed on the walls of his elderly home for hours, admiring the figures that had been painted on the canvases with such care and precision. That's why he decided to start making his own paintings. Over the past couple of years, he had made several pieces of art and he had to say, they didn't look bad at all. Painting had always calmed him, it even helped him easing the pain of the untimely loss of Elizabeth, it made him feel like time was passing him by without him even noticing it. If this hobby calmed him so much, then it surely would give him enough rest to make him sleepy...

Damien swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The bed creaked when the mattress dented. The butler stood up and walked towards his easel to put it in the center of the bedroom. This piece of wood, covered in smudges of paint, had been a present from his late father; he had received it on his eighteenth birthday, one year before he met Elizabeth. After Damien put his easel on the spot, he retrieved his suitcase where he had put his art supplies into. He put the painting of a purple vase filled with daisies on the easel; it was a project he had been working on before he traveled to New York. A couple of details still had to be put on the vase, then it would be finished.

After he had gathered the right colors of paint, Damien sat down and started painting. From the first moment his brush smeared the paint over the canvas, the butler was already feeling his body relaxing. He had always enjoyed these moments, it was just him and his art...

Suddenly, he heard a creak behind him. Damien turned around and saw the door slowly opening. A single green eye peeked through the door opening; upon spotting the butler, the owner of the eye dared to open the door more, until it was completely open.

All of Damien's blood nearly rushed to his head as his heart burnt with the hottest flame in existence.

Madeline was standing in the door opening, her slender body gently covered by the thin fabric of her light pink nightgown. Her feet were bare. She slightly opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it, as if she was too shy to talk to Damien. But then she gathered the courage to speak again.

'Damien?' the butler's angel asked. 'Am I... bothering you?'

'No, not at all, Lady Madeline.' Dear God, she had no idea how hard he was struggling to retain his collected attitude. 'What brings you here? It's getting late, you should be asleep by now.'

Madeline shook her head. Just then, Damien noticed that the look in her eyes had something... saddening. 'I can't sleep. No matter how hard I try, I just can't do it. Can I please come in, Damien?'

'Well of course.' You are always welcome, my angel.

The butler's imaginary bride blinked her eyes a couple of times and nodded, as if she was relieved by the answer. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Damien got up from his chair. With each step his angel made, he could feel his heart beat rising; when she stood in front of him, he thought that his heart was going to explode. She looked so beautiful in that nightgown, so innocent, so pure... he was almost afraid of touching her, as if she would break into a thousand pieces if he did so.

'I... I can't get it out of my head, Damien...' Madeline spoke with a slightly trembling voice. 'What happened this morning... God, William, it was so awful. Every time when I close my eyes, it plays all over in my head again. I can still hear his breathing in my ears. I wish that all of this was just a really bad nightmare, but I can't wake up. But the worst of all is... that this is my fault.'

'Your fault?'

'Yes. If I had never snuck out to see you... William would still be alive. Good God, the guilt is killing me. That's why I'm asking you, Damien...'

Madeline slowly spread her arms, not keeping her eyes off of the butler for a moment; he felt like his breath was being sucked right out of his lungs.

'Could you comfort me and take the pain away?'

She wanted him to embrace her... did he fall asleep after all and enter a dream? No, this was reality, no matter how many times Damien blinked his eyes. His head felt like spinning with euphoria. This angel had come to him, asking him to comfort her. Out of all people who lived in this mansion, she wanted him to take the pain away. This felt like such an honor, it was way bigger than being accepted as a teacher on a prestigious university. Everything inside Damien was screaming for him to plant his lips on Madeline's and take her to his bed, but like he always did, he controlled himself.

'If that's what you want, then I shall do it.' the butler replied. He couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a small, but sincere smile. 'Because as your butler, it's my task to make you feel better at any time.'

Madeline smiled back, as if she was yet again relieved to hear the butler's answer. With one last step, she rested her head against Damien's chest. Like a carnivorous plant would close its jaws around an unfortunate fly, Damien allowed his arms to wrap around his angel, pulling her in for a comforting embrace. The sensation of her body close against his was like a dream coming true, but that would be an understatement. Damien thought that the fire inside his heart would engulf his entire body when he heard Madeline emit a loud sigh; she was most likely giving into the hug. This was proven true when he felt her body relaxing in his arms.

'Lady Madeline, none of this is your fault.' Damien wanted to keep up to the promise of taking her pain away. 'Fate can be cruel to a lot of people. William was no exception. You need to understand this, Lady Madeline. At one point in the life of any human being, regardless of what situation they are in at the moment, we will all die at one point. There is nothing we can do about it. We, puny humans, do not have the power to control such higher powers. There is nothing to feel guilty about.'

A soft chuckle could be heard. 'There you go again with your poetic words... but thank you, Damien. I... I really appreciate this.'

Madeline's eyes peeked past the arms of the butler, almost immediately spotting the painting he had been working on before she came in.

'Oh my goodness...' she said. Those words caused Damien to let go of her. His angel stared at the painting, as if she was studying every single detail on it.

'Did you paint this, Damien?'

'Yes, Lady Madeline.' Damien convinced himself to not ever wash the clothes he was wearing again.

'It looks absolutely gorgeous! So life-like! You truly are one talented man!'

'You just flatter me now.'

Madeline turned her head to the butler, looking him straight in the eyes. He could swear that he saw a little twinkle in her eyes.

'Do you think you can paint me one day?' his angel asked. 'I don't think we ever had a portrait hanging around here that had been painted by a butler.'

There was no way Damien could ever refuse this request. 'Sure, I'd love to. When do you want to do it?'

'As soon as you get the time for it, if that's possible.'

'That's fine with me. I hope you are willing to sit still for a long while.'

'Don't worry about that. Me and my parents have been posing for many paintings over the years, so you could say that I'm used to doing that.'

'I'm pleased to hear that. Now, Lady Madeline, please go back to bed. It's getting late, a proper young lady like you should get the rest you need. But before you go, I have to ask you one last thing... are you feeling any better now?'

The muse smiled and nodded. The smile was small, but like always, it was sincere. 'Yes I do, thank you very much. I really needed this, please believe me when I say that.' She walked to the door, ready to return to her bedroom. But before she closed the door, she looked over her shoulder and gave the butler one last smile for the day. 'Again, thank you so much for comforting me. It means so much to me.' And then Madeline exited the bedroom, unknowingly taking Damien's heart with her.

Now with her mind at ease, the girl was ready to go to sleep. But before she wanted to turn right to go to her bedroom, she heard a faint, rhythmic, creaking noise on her left. It was faint, but she could clearly hear it. It was coming from her father's office... what was happening in there? What could possibly creak so much? The curiosity overcame the dawning sleepiness; Madeline decided to have a look.

Getting close to Frederick's office, she saw that the door was slightly ajar, just enough for her to take a peek. Since Madeline was wearing nothing on her feet, she didn't have to worry too much about being heard. Holding her breath, she peeked into her father's office.

The sight made her stomach violently clench together.

Nikki, her father's loyal maid, was bent over the wooden desk with her skirt pulled up, emitting soft moans of pleasure as Frederick was pounding inside her. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks had colored fire red and she grinned from ear to ear. Both of them didn't notice Madeline for a second, since Frederick was too concentrated on ramming himself in and out of the maid's body.

The calm feeling Madeline had left with when she left Damien's bathroom disappeared in an instance as she started to feel sick to her stomach. Damien's comfort had brought a bit of color back onto her face, but now upon seeing this awful display, her skin turned pale again once more.

Oh God, she couldn't watch this anymore...

With her hand covering her mouth, Madeline went back to her room, knowing that she would never look at her father the same way again.


	9. Class Begins

**Chapter 9**

 **Class Begins**

It was the perfect weather for tutoring an angel like Madeline Lancaster.

Damien thought it would be a complete waste to tutor his angel in the mansion while they could be doing this outside in the garden, under the pleasant warmth of the sun. There wasn't a single cloud in the blue air. There was a small, round, white table along with four fitting chairs in the middle of the garden, that was placed there whenever the Lancasters wanted to enjoy the warm summer days, and the butler considered this spot as the perfect spot to spend this morning with his beloved Madeline.

Sitting at the table, the butler/tutor waited for his precious pupil to arrive. Did Frederick already inform her about this? For once, he hoped so. From the left corner of his eye, Damien spotted three white butterflies dancing around one of the many rosebushes; it were the angels in their pupa bodies, he confirmed in his mind. Once those temporary bodies would die, those butterflies would be reborn and then take the form of young women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. And when they would die once more, the angels would finally regain their true forms while they ascended to Heaven. Damien slowly nodded; angels were truly some incredible creatures. Madeline must've been a butterfly too in her previous life, now that he thought about it.

He had to say, despite the undeniable fact that he was looking forward to tutoring his angel, Damien did have plenty of sleep last night. When he looked at himself in the mirror this morning, he deemed himself worthy enough to present himself for Madeline. And even in his dreams, his angel wouldn't leave him alone. The dream he had last night was very pleasant, Damien considered to make a painting based on it one day. In the dream, he was a sheik who had all the gold in the world, the biggest castle in all of Arabia, and he rested on the finest pillows there were. Madeline was his servant girl, dressed in orange silk and golden jewelry, who had the honor of dancing in front of her master whenever he wished for entertainment. Her moves were so elegant, so youthful, so gentle... Thankfully Frederick, Antoinette and Nikki weren't present in his dream. Go away you disappointments of the human race, let me be with my beautiful servant girl. When Damien woke up and found himself in his bed instead of a pile of pillows, he was actually kind of disgruntled upon realizing that it had all been a dream.

'Damien!'

The butler/tutor immediately looked up and his heart made a little jump in joy. There she was, Lady Madeline, beautiful as ever. Like the loyal butler he was to her, Damien stood up and pulled back one of the chairs, offering his angel a seat. When she saw this gesture, Madeline nodded in approval and sat down.

'Good morning, Lady Madeline.' the butler greeted. 'Did you sleep well last night?'

'Uh... yes, I slept fine, thank you for asking. Father told me at breakfast that you're going to teach me from now on. But I'll warn you, though...' The playful smile that set Damien's heart ablaze was shown on her face once again. 'I'm not one of the easiest students, you know.'

'Oh, that won't be any problem for me, Lady Madeline. Some of the young men I've been teaching back in London were almost impossible for some teachers to handle, but with me, they didn't stand a chance. So believe that I'm not worried about that at all.'

It seemed like the butler's words amused the young girl. 'Let's just see about that, shall we?' she giggled.

'Very well.' Damien replied. His seventeen-year old love had no idea how hard he was struggling to not let the flame sat was blazing through his heart engulf his body. 'Let's begin with the first subject. The ever so elegant French language. _Allons-nous commencer, Mademoiselle Madeline?_ '

' _Oui, monsiour Damien._ '

' _Très bon._ '

The butler opened a dark green book that had been put on the table with some other books. Madeline's study books, he knew. The pages were adorned with French words. Since Madeline's mother was originally from France, _son cher papa_ Frederick thought it would be important for his daughter to know her mother's native language. French had always been Damien's favorite language, and yes, this had once again because of Elizabeth. He remembered her often talking to her parents with those elegant words before switching back to English to continue a conversation they had before they were rudely interrupted for something silly. That's why he chose French as one of his main studies and thanks to this, his male pupils would be fine whenever they had to visit France.

' _Mademoiselle Madeline, quel jour sommes-nous?_ '

' _Mercredi._ '

' _Bon_. _Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui?_ '

 _'Il est ensoleillé._ '

' _De nouveau, bon._ _Quelles sont ces fleurs dans le jardin?_ '

' _Ce sont des roses._ '

' _Vous avez bien appris. Dites-moi, Mademoiselle Madeline... comment est ton père?_ '

Immediately Madeline was thrown back to last night, to that moment that made her literally make sick to her stomach. She saw it all over again; her father pounding himself in and out of Nikki, that grin on the face of the maid, the desk that slightly moved. Until now, she had actually enjoyed listening to Damien, but upon remembering that awful sight, the smile she had on her face disappeared in the blink of an eye. She blinked a couple of times, then stared at the study books, unsure of what she was going to say.

Damien noticed this. Something was troubling his angel, without a doubt.

' _Tout bon, Mademoiselle Madeline_?'

'Um...' Madeline looked up. ' _Oui._ _Il va bien avec mon père_.'

'Ah. _Question suivante. Que voulez-vous faire quand vous êtes plus âgé_?'

She was lying about herself. Damien couldn't stand seeing her being bothered by whatever was bothering her. 'Madeline.' he said, closing the book. 'I can see on your face that you're not doing fine at all. Don't you lie to me. As your butler, it's safe to confide your troubles to me. Your troubles are mine as well. I can see that your body is here, but your mind is somewhere else. Lady Madeline, you can trust me with this. Now, tell your faithful butler... what's wrong with you?'

It was quiet in the garden.

Then Madeline softly sighed. 'Do you... promise not to tell Father about this?' she asked. 'You really have to promise that.'

'Of course. You have my word.'

The angel breathed it and out a few times, opened her mouth to speak but shutting it the next moment, as if she was gathering the courage to confess to the butler what she had seen. Or maybe it was too sickening to tell him about it...

'Before... Before I went back to my bedroom after you comforted me last night, I heard strange noises coming from my father's office. I should've gone to my bed, but I couldn't help it. I had to know what was happening. I was such a fool... I peeked inside and... and...' Madeline could feel the disgust welling up again, but it slightly faded after she swallowed a couple of times. 'I... saw my father with Nikki... they were... Dear God Damien, they were having sex!'

Madeline covered her face with her hands and shook her head, letting out a shivering sigh. But she wasn't the only one feeling disgust, though; from this moment on, Damien didn't have an ounce of respect for Frederick Lancaster anymore. A man who dares to have an affair while being married was one of the most despicable things there were. But what made it even worse was the fact that the eyes of his beautiful angel had to see this. Damien would never forgive Frederick for scarring Madeline's mind like this.

'How revolting...' The butler thought his angel had the right to know about his honest opinion. 'Lady Madeline, I'm so terribly sorry you had to see that.'

Suddenly, a soft sob could be heard from behind Madeline's hands. Damien slightly widened his eyes in surprise. Was she... crying?

'I hate him so much!' Madeline cried out. She revealed her face and the butler's hunch was right; his seventeen-year old angel was crying. Bitter tears ran down her cheeks as the area around her eyes turned red. Damien could feel his heart instantly breaking, but at the same time, her tears reminded him of small diamonds.

'My father has always been like this!' his angel sobbed loudly. 'He had been doing this to every single maid who had worked here over the years! Most of the maids refused his advances, but the word 'no' doesn't mean anything to my father! No matter how many times they told him to stop, he would still touch them! Maids always came and went because of this, but he just doesn't care about that! Just because my father is rich and owns a bunch of stupid factories, he thinks that he can do anything he wants! Women are nothing to him, he sees them as his personal property, baby machines, even as his concubines! They are not even human beings to them! He doesn't care if he's married, marriage doesn't mean anything to him! My mother knows about what he does to the maids, she even knows about what's going on between him and Nikki! But she doesn't want to see that her husband is a pervert, she's too much of a coward to face it! You know what she does in her bedroom all day long, Damien? She drinks wine! She drinks every bottle of wine she can find in this mansion! She rather spends entire days in her bed with a pounding head than facing the truth! My mother wants to remain ignorant, Damien! She had never been a mother to me actually, I shouldn't even call that woman my mother! I despise her just as much as I despise my father! And I shouldn't even call that man my father either! The only thing that woman has done for me is putting me on this world! My parents don't care about me, they never did! I have never received a hug, kiss, or a kind word from them! The ones who raised me were the governesses my father hired throughout my life and they didn't even treat me with kindness! They had to raise a child from a wealthy family who meant nothing to them, that was their job and nothing else! Believe me when I say the governesses weren't even safe from my that man's dirty hands! The only reason why they had me was because they needed a legitimate heir! Why would you have children if you can't even properly raise them?!'

Covering her tear-stained face with her hands once more, Madeline cried out all the sadness and pain she had stored inside her for many years. Damien swore he had never seen anything more heartbreaking than this sight in his entire life. God knows how much pain his angel had to endure before he arrived in New York... He would never forgive himself for not being there while she was suffering alone in this loveless life.

But now he was going to change it; it was going to be his life mission to give the love his angel needed.

The butler retrieved a stainless white handkerchief from his pocket and gently rubbed the sobbing girl on her back. 'Here, Lady Madeline. Dry your tears with this.'

Madeline looked up, softly sniffling. She let out a trembling sigh when she spotted the handkerchief. 'Oh... thank you.' She accepted the act of kindness and wiped away her tears with the white cloth. 'Oh dear, I shouldn't be crying like this in front of a butler.' she mumbled. 'I feel so embarrassed...'

'Don't be. Listen to me Lady Madeline, I'm here for you now. From this day on, you can tell me whenever you feel saddened or troubled by something. I promise I will keep all of your confessions as a secret as if they were more own secrets. Your father won't know anything about them. You will never have to feel lonely again, as long as I'm your butler. Do you believe me?'

Now that she had cried out all her sadness, Madeline was able to smile again when she heard those words. 'No butler had ever said something like that to me... Thank you, Damien. Thank you for caring about me.'

I have always cared about you, my love.

'Shall we continue with my French lessons? It would be so awkward to end it like this...'

'Very well. If that's what you want, then we shall do it.'

For the next fifteen minutes, Damien and Madeline shared conversations in French. The butler noticed that the last bit of sadness that was still inside her faded away while they were talking, it almost seemed like Madeline had been living in France for many years, she was speaking the language so fluently. The butler/tutor was pretty sure that William would've been proud of him for tutoring his pupil like this.

'Well, let's end these lessons for today.' Damien said, putting the study book on the table. 'I hope you have learned something from this, Lady Madeline.'

'I sure have learned something, Damien... I have finally learned that somebody actually does care about me.'

Madeline got up from her seat, yet again unknowingly setting the butler's heart ablaze once more. 'Thank you Damien!' she said while she ran back towards the back door. 'I will see you la-'

Those words were abruptly cut off when the angel was unfortunate enough to trip over her own feet, causing her to fall into the rosebushes. Damien's fiery heart skipped a beat when he heard a yelp of pain filling every empty spot inside his head.

'Lady Madeline!' he exclaimed, immediately getting up and rushing towards the rosebushes. Oh dear God, what happened to her?! Did the thorns prick into her eyes or cut her beautiful face? The thought of her natural beauty being forever ruined by a single fall into the rosebushes she admired so much made his head feel like spinning with worry.

Lady Madeline was lying in the middle of the rosebushes, her eyes clenched shut and softly whimpering in pain. No damage had been done to her beauty, much to the butler's relief. 'Are you alright?!' Damien asked.

'Ow... my knee... it hurts...' his angel whimpered.

Lifting the skirt of Madeline's dress, Damien discovered a nasty, bloody cut on her knee; that had to be the work of a vicious thorn. 'Oh dear, that doesn't look good... Come, I will take care of it inside.'

And before his angel could react, Damien had already put his arms underneath her and lifted her up, like a knight in a shining armor would carry his princess he had just rescued from her ivory tower. The soft touch of her popliteal and her waist underneath the fabric of her dress was almost enough to make Damien feel like he was floating. She was so light and soft, just like an angel should feel like. And on that moment, his brown eyes met the green eyes he loved so much, staring at him with a certain admiration. No butler or governess must've ever carried her like that, but Damien was honored to be the first one to do so. He'd wish he could forever hold Madeline like this, but that cut had to be treated... or else her body would never regain her beauty.

Inside the kitchen, Damien put Madeline on the wooden kitchen counter . After he washed off the blood with some water, the butler searched the cabinets for something to patch up the wound with. After searching for a short while, he found a clear white bandage, ready for use. As careful as possible, he wrapped the bandage around the injured, making sure it wouldn't be too tightly wrapped. Tying the two loose ends together, the treatment had been finished.

'There you go. Feeling better, Lady Madeline?'

'It's still a little bit sore, but yes, it feels better.'

The young woman hopped off the kitchen counter, but just before she left, she stood on her tiptoes and then, without any warning, she gave Damien a gentle kiss on his cheek; a reward for caring about her.

' _Merci beaucoup, Damien_...' Madeline whispered. Then she left the kitchen, leaving Damien alone to burn along with his desires.


	10. Cracks On A Painting

**Chapter 10**

 **Cracks On A Painting**

Damien remembered not wanting to wash his clothes after he had hugged Madeline last night, but now that he had the honor of feeling her soft, warm lips on his cheek as his reward for taking care of her, he thought he was never going to be able to wash his face again.

Her kiss, much to his amusement, had something shy and careful, as if his angel thought her loyal butler was made of thin glass and would break him into thousands of pieces if she wouldn't kiss him gently enough. The butler didn't dare to touch that spot where Madeline's lips had met his skin, afraid that he would lose the memory of that sweet sensation. Was this her first time to show her gratitude to a butler like that? That could very well possibly be, since she had claimed that nobody had given her any sort of kindness, thus making him the perfect candidate for this sweet reward. Now Damien would feel that kiss in his dreams, he was sure about that.

Today he had accomplished something very special; he had managed to make Madeline let her guards down and confess to him how she was actually feeling. Perhaps his angel had never dared to share her misery with anybody else; so far, Damien hadn't seen or heard any mentions that Madeline had actual friends. Frederick, that shameless pig, had never asked her about any possible friends, no, he cared more about verbally abusing his wife than caring about his own daughter. This only cemented Madeline's claim about her father carelessness towards her and the fact that women didn't count as living human beings to him.

Damien wouldn't hesitate to admit that he now despised Frederick and Antoinette for neglecting Madeline her entire life. They should be blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful and kind daughter like her, but they refused to see all of that; she was nothing more but the only legitimate heir of the family, a puppet Frederick wished to control, wanting her to become a proper, refined young lady while he couldn't keep his hands off of any woman, that old hypocrite. And Damien didn't take any liking to Antoinette either; you had to be the queen of cowards if you'd rather flee in the world of alcohol than facing the harsh truth about your husband and taking care of your daughter. Damien would never respect such a weak, selfish woman like her.

Much to the butler's dismay, he was unable to spend any more time with his beloved angel after the lessons had ended, which was because of Frederick's doing. He demanded that Damien dusted off the furniture, watered the roses, washed the sheets, scrubbed the floors and more; in other words, he had given Damien enough chores to fill up an entire afternoon. But luckily, the butler didn't have to do most of the chores alone. Nikki helped him with scrubbing the floor of the main hallway. At one point, Damien noticed Frederick passing them by, heading towards the living room to possibly read a news paper or maybe even to consider hiring a second maid as his extra 'playmate'. And there was no way the butler's eyes could've lied to him; he swore to his parents' graves that he saw his employer staring at Nikki's behind while she was scrubbing. Damien didn't say anything, but after he saw Frederick entering the living room, he quietly shook his head in disapproval. Vulgar scoundrel.

At last, the time to prepare dinner for the Lancasters came. After he had emptied the bucket with dirty water outside on the driveway, Damien went back inside to go to the kitchen. But then, just when he wanted to open the door that lead to the kitchen, he saw a rather disgraceful sight.

Antoinette, the poorest excuse of a mother in the world, walked down the stairs; or at least, she was attempting to do so. Her steps perfectly matched the ones from a drunk leaving a pub after a full night of drinking. She mumbled something nobody could understand, stood still for a moment and then tried to ascend down the stairs once again. But then Antoinette tripped over her own feet, but before she could make that painful fall, the drunk woman managed to grab onto the guardrail just in time.

'Lady Antoinette?' Damien asked. 'Do you want me to help you guide down the stairs?'

'W-w-what...?' the sad excuse of a mother asked. When she looked up, the butler could already see from a distance that her eyes were blood-shot. 'No no no... I will be fine, _merci_. I can do... this by myself. Be a good butler and... make... ugh, _mon Dieu,_ this headache is killing me...'

Yes, and those headaches are killing your relationship with your daughter as well, you drunk bitch.

It was a miracle that Antoinette was able to make it down the lower floor without breaking her neck on the stairs. She muttered Damien to go make dinner once again before she entered the dinner room.

Dinner was prepared in half an hour; this time, the Lancasters were going to feast on fish with mashed potatoes and broccoli. The delicious smell would make anybody's stomach rumble, rich people and poor people alike. Together with Nikki, Damien entered the dinner room while holding the plates of fresh food. His heart made a little jump in joy when he saw his seventeen-year old angel sitting at the table. But he also noticed something else; Antoinette's face had grown a lot paler and she looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.

'Your dinner, Master Frederick.' Damien said when he put down the plate in front of his employer.

'Ah, thank you Damien.' he mumbled.

Enjoy your dinner, pig.

' _Bon appetite, Mademoiselle Madeline_.' Even putting her dinner in front of her felt like an honor to the butler.

' _Merci beaucoup._ '

Damien was convinced that Madeline would enjoy the smell of the food... but apparently it didn't please one person at the table at all.

'Oh, _mon Dieu_...' Antoinette groaned when Nikki presented her the dinner. She leaned the back of her head against her neck, panting a few times. Damien could see her growing even more pale by the second. Trying to hold herself together, Antoinette looked down at the food on her plate. A weak chuckle escaped her mouth; her breath reeked of wine.

'Ha, would you look at that... Fish with... with...'

Suddenly, a putrid wave of green liquid and small chunks emerged from Antoinette's throat, spilling over her plate and the table cloth. A foul smell immediately spread through the entire dinner room, making breathing for fresh air impossible.

'You disgusting bitch!' Frederick yelled furiously. 'Look at what you've done! You fucking disgrace of a woman! Dear God, I have married a pig! You are the foulest creature to ever roam this Earth, you are not even worthy of sitting at the same table with me! You're pathetic, you hear me? Pathetic!'

Damien didn't know what was even more revolting; the barf that covered a part of the table or the words that Frederick shouted at his wife. But it didn't seem to bother Antoinette at all, in fact, it seemed like she hadn't listened for a second. Instead of saying something back, she let out a soft groan, wiped some remaining barf from the corner of her mouth and took a big gulp from her glass wine that never seemed to leave her side.

Then he saw something that made his heart crack. Madeline was shaking her head, trying her best to hold back her tears, her lower lip trembling. A sad sigh passed through her lips. She got up from her seat and ran towards the door; once she exited the dinner room, she slammed the door shut behind her with a loud bang.

Damn it, Damien shouldn't stand here to watch this disgraceful display, he should go after her and comfort her! The butler headed towards the door, but before he could touch the door knob, Frederick had already spotted him.

'Where do you think you're going?!' he snarled. 'You stay here and clean up this mess! Now!'

The butler clenched his teeth behind his closed mouth, but decided to remain calm and do what he was asked to do; it was likely that he would only increase Frederick's rage if he would defy him.

'Yes, Master Frederick...'

* * *

Damien never thought he would ever be so relieved to be able to fill his lungs with a gust of fresh air when he entered the garden.

The foul stench of Antoinette's barf had almost him sick to his stomach as well, but thankfully he had managed to not fall apart while cleaning up the table. He was sure that the green stain would never be fully erased from the table cloth; a permanent reminder of the filth that smudged Antoinette's soul. While picking up the plate with wasted food, the butler took a moment to stare at the only painting that decorated the dinner room; the family portrait. That portrait was nothing more but an illusion. The Lancasters looked so proper on the canvas, while in real life, they had to be the most dysfunctional family Damien had ever seen. Father Frederick the perverted scoundrel, Mother Antoinette the cowardly drunk, Daughter Madeline the neglected angel. The cracks were deep and visible in the family, you could compare them to the cracks you would see on an old painting; the only one whose cracks could be healed were the ones from Madeline. Damien was planning on filling those cracks with nothing more but the love and attention she had craved for so many years.

Both Frederick and Antoinette had left the foul-smelling dinner room while he was cleaning the table. The butler could easily guess what they were planning to do; his employer would most likely go to his office to wait for his maid to fulfill her role as his concubine while his wife would lock herself up in the bedroom to drink even more wine. They could both vanish from the Earth for all the butler cared, the only thing that was on his mind now was to find Madeline. His angel needed him, he felt it to his bones.

Thankfully his search for the angel was short-lived, since Damien knew where she could've gone. Because after she stormed out of the dinner room, he could faintly hear the back door that lead to the backyard faintly slamming shut. Did she perhaps look for solace with her beloved roses? Damien decided to give it a shot.

The sky had already colored dark blue and a few stars had already appeared. The full moon shined with all its grace. A cold breeze rolled across the garden, making the petals and leafs of the roses rustle gently. Even though he was fully clothed, Damien could feel the cold on his skin. He remembered Madeline's preference for wearing dresses with short puff sleeves; he feared for her getting a cold if she stayed out here for too long. His hunch was proven right when he saw a humanoid figure with long, wavy, golden blonde hair standing in the distance in the moonlight, staring at the rosebushes. That had to be Madeline, without a doubt.

Don't weep anymore, my beautiful angel... I'm here to comfort you.

The butler walked towards her, but she didn't seem to notice him at all. When he was just a few steps away from her, Damien saw her wiping her hand across her eyes, as if she was wiping away her tears.

'Lady Madeline?' he asked.

Madeline inaudibly gasped and turned around. There were still some remains of the tears she had cried, glistening in the corners of her eyes due to the moonlight.

'Are you alright?'

The angel slightly bit her lower lip and nodded. 'Yes, I... I think so. I just had to get out of there, I couldn't bear sitting there anymore.'

'I'm so sorry you had to see that revolting display. A young lady like you shouldn't see such horrid things.'

'Those things almost always happens during dinner time.' Madeline sighed. 'Ever since I was a child. There wasn't a single time we had a pleasant time together at the dinner table, if my parents wouldn't ignore each other, Father would yell at my mother for the most ridiculous reasons. And like you have seen, that woman would do nothing about it. She has always been like that. She actually drinks more than she eats. And I'm going to be entirely honest with you, Damien... my parents have never truly loved each other. The only reason why they were married was because of my father's money. They met each other years ago when my father was visiting Paris for business reasons. There he became acquainted with my grandparents, who owned a couple of vineyards. Yes, ironic, isn't it? I think my grandparents were so desperate for my mother to marry a rich man that they made her marry my father, not out of love, but for the money she would inherit. But my father didn't want to give his heritage to some worthless woman he never loved, no, he wanted a heir. That's why they had me. My eighteenth birthday is coming up next week and I'm convinced they will give me yet another worthless present, like they do each year. You know what they gave me last year, Damien? They gave me a dress that belonged to the previous maid because they forgot about my birthday! How neglectful can you be when your forget your own daughter's birthday?!'

Good God, this was even worse then he thought... but upon hearing that his angel would turn eighteen years old in a week, thus making her an official angel in his eyes, Damien saw his chance to get even closer with her. He was going to give her a present she was forever going to treasure. He didn't care if he to sail all the oceans in the world, climb the highest mountains, venture through the most dangerous jungles, crawl through the most bat-infested caves Earth had to offer him, he was going to make Madeline happy on that one big day.

Suddenly, he had the perfect idea.

'Say, Lady Madeline... Would your mood become better if I'd offer you to paint your portrait tomorrow?'

His angel blinked her teary eyes in surprise. 'Really? You think you would have enough time to do that.'

'But of course. We will begin right after your lessons.'

The smile that spread across Madeline's face made his soul glow with the most pleasant heat in the world. The cracks were slowly filling up, finally, after all these years of neglect.

'Damien, I don't know what to say... thank you!'

'You're welcome. Now, how about we go inside now and get you something to eat? You're going to catch a cold if you stay out here for too long, you know. And I don't want you to go to bed with an empty stomach.'

'You're right. Very well, let's go. But honestly, you don't have to cook up an entire new meal for me. It would make me feel bad...'

'Don't worry about that, I believe there is still some fruit in the kitchen.'


	11. My Muse

**Chapter 11**

 **My Muse**

The way Madeline was sitting at the table while she was listening to him was almost hilarious to Damien. It was nearly adorable, even. She was supporting her head with her hands, her elbows resting on the table leaf, not keeping her green eyes off of the butler for a second and smiling from ear to ear. Damien bet his angel had never been this interested before in a lesson, but he could easily guess why she was in such a good mood today.

He had promised to paint her portrait after her lessons were over.

William must've never seen his pupil like this during the private lessons; Damien sure had turned her lonely life upside down, which was exactly what he was planning to do. Madeline deserved to be treated better and he had the honor of doing so. If Frederick, Antoinette or even Nikki weren't going to give her the love and attention she needed, Damien would be glad to give it to her. It sounded strange, but at the same time he was glad that he was the only one to treat Madeline like this. If somebody else, a man for all that mattered, would've been around who also had his eyes set on his angel, he would've gone sick from jealousy by a long time now. No, he would be the only one to cherish Madeline. Now that he thought about it, he remembered one last wish before going to sleep last night. Damien wished for an earthquake, a raging fire, even a murderous storm to completely destroy the Lancaster mansion. Pieces of wood and shattered glass would form the tombstone of the mansion. Frederick, Antoinette and Nikki swiftly eliminated, buried underneath the rubble. A trembling Madeline in his arms, clinging onto her faithful butler for dear life, the two of them as the sole survivors of this fortunate tragedy. Hush now, my beautiful angel. I'm here to protect you. _Venez ici et me donner un baiser_ , my blonde flower.

But Damien decided to stay professional, like William did; education always comes first, no matter what. His angel needed the proper education she deserved. Because after all, despite the fact that her parents didn't have the right to actually call themselves her parents, Madeline was blessed to have the best education there was. There was so many girls of her age out there on the streets, so desperate to make money that they sold their bodies to the low-life scumbags that roamed the shady alleys of the big cities, but Madeline, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, this education was handed to her on a golden plate. If she wanted to succeed in life, she had to know everything she needed to know.

After a full hour of teaching her history lessons and some philosophy, Damien thought it was time to tell her the words she had been dying to hear.

'I think that's enough lessons for today.' the butler/tutor said, closing the study book. Oh, how his soul glowed with that pleasant heat when he saw Madeline's smile widening, exposing her straight, white teeth. Dear God, her hair almost looked like it was made of pure gold in the warm sunlight. In an attempt to sound amusing to her, Damien decided to tease her a bit. 'But posing for a portrait... that must be so boring for a young lady like you. No, how about I tutor you a little bit more, I assume that's far more interesting for you.'

'Damien, don't be such a tease!' his angel giggled.

'Who said that I was teasing you?' Damien replied, earning one more soft giggle from Madeline. She saw right through him, the peachy darling. 'Very well. Let's go to my bedroom, my easel is right over there. Do you want to change your clothes or something before we start?'

'Hmm... I think I still have a dress somewhere that I'd like to wear.'

'That's fine with me. You can go chance yourself, then I will prepare everything.'

'Alright. Now come on, I can't wait any longer!'

Such an eager angel she was... Damien felt even more blessed to be the tutor and butler for this beautiful creature.

Damien and Madeline got up from their seats and walked through the backyard, heading towards the back door. An angel being guided through her kingdom of roses by her humble servant. For a moment, Damien considered holding Madeline's hand while they got closer to the back door, but thanks to days of extraordinary self-control, he remained in his role of a faithful butler.

'It won't take long.' the angel said when they got inside. 'I'll see you in a moment!' Then Madeline headed up the stairs, once again unknowingly taking Damien's burning heart with her. Still in his role, he silently followed her, staring at the exposed skin on her legs that became visible whenever she put her foot on the next step. Oh, he would've given everything he had to kiss those soft, innocent legs... Turning left once she reached the second floor, Madeline turned left and headed towards the end of the hallway, where her bedroom was located. Damien could hear the bedroom door slamming shut.

There was no time to lose.

Once he got inside his bedroom, Damien immediately grabbed his easel and put it in the middle of the room. That painting of the vase with the flowers was going to have to wait. He retrieved a blank canvas and put it on the easel. Was Madeline still searching for that dress? Damien wasn't sure which dress she was going to pick, but he was sure that it was going to look wonderful on her. Opening up the suitcase that contained his art supplies, he searched for the right colors with the perfect shades to use. Beige, green, white, gold; since Damien wasn't sure what the color of the dress was going to be, he decided to pick these colors for now. Thankfully he had brought some extra clean pencils with him before he traveled to New York.

Three knocks on the door could be heard, followed by a creaking noise. 'Damien? I'm ready.'

Turning around, the butler's breath was taken away. Madeline, who was standing in the doorway, looked more angelic and innocent than ever in the light yellow dress adorned with ruffles that were colored in a lighter shade of yellow she was wearing. Angelic princess! 'What do you think?' Madeline asked, twirling around one time, causing the skirt of the dress to fluff up. The bandage that was wrapped around her injured knee made a small appearance because of this. 'Do you think it looks pretty enough for the portrait?'

'You look... wonderful.' Damien immediately realized that she was wearing that dress for him; the realization almost made every drop of blood in his body rush to his head.

Hearing those words made Madeline smile from ear to ear. 'Thank you, I appreciate that compliment.' She looked around the bedroom, as if she was searching for something. 'So... where shall I sit? Or do you want me to stand?'

'You can sit on the bed if you'd like, I'd figure it won't tire you out that much.'

'Very well.'

The young muse entered the bedroom and sat down on the edge of Damien's bed. Only in his wildest dreams, the butler would imagine her resting on his bed; now he was pretty sure that he would never wash those sheets again as well. He turned his easel and decided to mix the white paint with the golden paint for the dress.

'Alright.' Damien said. 'Let's begin.'

The most important project of his entire life started. The butler made sure to get every fine detail he could find on Madeline's face, from the thin lock of hair in her bangs that was slightly longer than all the other locks of hair to the twinkle in the corner of her left eye. It was indeed like Madeline had been posing for paintings for years, judging by the fact that she didn't move for a moment, with the exception of blinking her eyes now and then. Painting Madeline Lancaster had to be without a doubt the most wonderful thing Damien had ever done; he had never thought of painting a portrait of a beautiful angel like her when he was sitting in that train during his journey to New York. It felt like time had stood still in the butler's bedroom, but the two weren't bothered a bit by it.

'Damien?' Madeline suddenly asked after thirty minutes of sitting still. 'My nose is itching really bad, can I scratch it?'

'Sure, but be quick, milady.'

The angel quickly scratched her nostril before resuming her original position. The adorable peach. While Damien continued to paint, he wondered for a brief moment why there were only paintings in the mansion and not any photographs. He remembered numerous conversations between the male students and his fellow teachers back in London about having family photographs taken with their families soon, some of them were really excited about it. Damien had always thought photography lacked the artisticity a painting had; having an image forever recorded by some inanimate machine felt so lackluster to him. No, he had always preferred effort when it came to art. Did the Lancasters perhaps feel the same way about that? For once, Damien would agree with them.

Then, after two and a half hours of painting, his newest masterpiece had taken the shape he desired.

'There. It's finished. You can move again, Lady Madeline.' Damien said as he rubbed off a small stain of paint off his hand.

Relieved that she was allowed to move after such a long time, the beloved muse stretched her arms and softly groaned. 'Can I see it, please?' she asked. 'I would love to see how it turned out!'

'Uh-uh, not yet.' the butler replied. He didn't want her surprise to be spoiled just yet. 'I still have to add some small details here and there, but you will see it soon enough. Now, is there anything you want to do before we will have lunch?' Do you perhaps feel like staying here with me for all eternity, dear angel?

'Hmm... I actually do feel like playing my violin again, I haven't done that in a long while.'

'Then you go do that. I think your father would want me to prepare lunch.'

'Alright then.' Madeline got up from the bed and smiled at her loyal butler. 'Thank you so much for doing this, Damien. No butler had ever spend his free time doing something for me...'

Damien smiled back at the darling of an angel. 'Then I'm glad to be the first one to do that. You're welcome.'

Madeline gave him a nod, walked towards the door and exited the bedroom. Damien glanced at the finished portrait and he had to say, this had to be his best work yet. Madeline's face looked so life-like, this truly was a piece of art to be proud of. He would hang this on the wall to stare at every single night, but he knew that this was not for him. It was for her and her only.

Damien got up and left the bedroom. Entering the corridor, he heard faint music playing on his right. That must be his angel playing her violin. As much as the butler would love to listen to her, he had to do his work first if he wished to avoid the wrath of Frederick. Just as he wanted to go down the stairs, he heard giggling on his left.

The sight repulsed him on so many levels.

Frederick had Nikki pinned against the wall on the opposite side of his office, burying his mouth against the sensitive skin of her neck and decorating it with lustful kisses while his hand searched for the maid's thigh. Nikki had closed her eyes and was grinning from ear to ear. So everything that Madeline had said about her revolting father was true... it made Damien lose even more respect for his employer. So shameless, so damn shameless... Then Nikki opened her eyes and spotted the butler staring at them, causing her to gasp in surprise. Frederick immediately stopped his actions and looked up. Displeased that his butler had the guts to interrupt him, he glared at Damien.

'Damien!' he snarled. 'Don't you just stand there and gawk! Go make lunch now! Don't waste your damn time, man!'

The butler nodded, hiding his disgust as well as he could. 'Yes, Master Frederick.'

As he descended down the stairs, Damien allowed his head to be filled up with the faint violin music. Madeline was the only pure resident here in this mansion... and he wished for her to stay that way.


	12. An Unhappy Birthday Or Is It?

**Chapter 12**

 **An Unhappy Birthday... Or Is It?**

The following six days passed Damien by like a handful of shredded pieces that once formed a handkerchief being taken away by a strong gust of wind. But those days were everything but boring to him, mainly because he got to spend those days with the loveliest angel a man like him could ever wish for.

Over the past days, Madeline had shown nothing more but kindness to him. It looked like she really did enjoy the company of the butler, judging by the way she always smiled whenever she saw him, from spotting him in the garden watering the roses to simply passing him by while he was dusting the expensive, antique furniture. Damien often couldn't help but wonder how Madeline was like before she met him. He remembered her being polite when she shook hands with him, but what was she truly hiding behind that mask of politeness? Who knows how many tears she must've shed at night before the butler entered her loveless life. Hundreds? Thousands? Damien was convinced that all of those tears were caused by her neglectful 'parents'. But now that he was here, he would never allow her to feel alone and unloved again. He saw her for the angel she was and she deserved so much better. The butler was going to give her all the love and attention she had been missing for so many years. Well, he wasn't planning on outright confessing his love for her since he wasn't sure about how his angel would react to it, but he was going to show her that she mattered to him nonetheless.

Like it was said before, it looked like Madeline loved to have the butler around her. It was like she couldn't get enough of listening to him when they spoke French to each other during her French lessons (French was the only lesson she especially enjoyed) and she often wouldn't hesitate to ask Damien about his time as a teacher in London. Of course the butler wouldn't tell her about his nightly escapades with her treacherous fellow angel Alice, there was no way she would ever want to speak to him again if he told that to her. No, instead he told her all about the fine Victorian architecture and fashion, the rise of the industrial pollution, the untouched nature outside London that he loved to visit on sunny weekends, his students who were fascinated by the fact that they were educated by an American and the Christmas dinners he had with his neighbors. Madeline was especially interested in the Victorian fashion and architecture and the nature, which was why she promptly wished to visit England one day. Damien was convinced she would look wonderful in those expensive, elegant, timeless Victorian dresses.

One time after they had dinner (Frederick mumbling something about considering to fire some lazy workers in one of his factories in New York, Antoinette not speaking a word and taking sips of her precious glass of wine) Madeline had gathered the courage to show Damien her musical skills. In her bedroom she allowed the butler to sit on the edge of her bed and retrieved her violin. She didn't show any nervousness at all, as if she had been playing for people many times already. The butler could listen to the sweet, gentle music she played for all eternity if that was possible. He remembered her saying that she hadn't been playing the violin in a long while, but it looked like she had been practicing every single day. When Damien complimented her for her skills when she was done, she had found the courage to confess to him that her oh so beloved father thought a prim and proper lady should be able to play a violin as well, which was why he practically forced her to learn to play it by the tender age of five. Another rather saddening secret revealed... what more was his precious angel possibly hiding?

Much to Damien's surprise, Frederick had ceased the verbal abuse towards his wife and daughter at dinner times for the week, only speaking whenever he wished to rant about the economy, politics or other business. But he was actually mostly talking to himself, since Antoinette looked like she was only interested in her wine and Damien's seventeen-year old flame didn't know what to say, as if she was afraid she would call her father's wrath upon her if she did so. And once again, Madeline's stories about her mother were proven right; the alcoholic cow drank more than she ate. And Nikki? Well, Damien assumed that she and Frederick were still continuing their shameless affair. Dinner time was the only time the Lancasters came together, that was obvious now. During the day, Damien never saw the family together. Never did they share a pleasant conversation during a nice cup of tea or share a laugh at the dinner table. This family was clearly damaged, in so many ways, but the true victim here was Madeline. She was the one who had to suffer for the lack of love and unity in the family. But she didn't have to suffer any longer; her loyal butler, who was secretly madly in love with her, was here for her now.

On the morning of August 12th, Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster had turned eighteen years old, thus officially introducing her to the kingdom of angels; that was the butler's first thought when he opened his eyes that morning. Such a big honor should be celebrated. After the butler dressed up in his uniform, he went downstairs and practically tip-toed down the stairs, making sure he wouldn't wake anybody up. If Frederick would spot him, he would order him to make breakfast for the entire family immediately, but thankfully the old buzzard remained asleep. In the kitchen, the butler prepared a special breakfast he had been planning to make for Madeline for a while. Crepes with fresh strawberries; the perfect breakfast for an angel like her. The entire kitchen smelled delicious, it even made the butler's stomach growl. Once he was done, Damien put the plate with crepes, a knife and fork and a cup of hot tea on a tray and carefully walked up the stairs. In his mind, he could already him angel sitting up in her bed, enjoying the freshly made breakfast; it made his heart feel like it was glowing.

The butler knocked on her bedroom door before he managed to open it despite holding the full tray in his hands. At first his heart felt like glowing, but upon laying eyes on this beautiful sight, it felt like his seemingly immortal heart was set ablaze once again. Madeline was lying in her bed, clad in her light pink gown and her golden wavy hair a slight mess. She was just waking up her, her green eyes half-lidded, staring at Damien in minor confusion.

'Good morning, Lady Madeline.' the butler spoke, walking towards her. 'I have made you breakfast. Happy birthday.'

Madeline blinked her sleepy eyes a few times, as if the realization that it was her eighteenth birthday had to sink into her. Then she fully opened her eyes when the realization finally struck her. 'Oh...' she said, sitting up in bed. 'That's right... I'm eighteen years old now...'

'Exactly. That's why reaching a glorious age like that should be celebrated with a special breakfast.' Damien carefully put the tray on her lap, making sure nothing would spill onto the sheets. ' _Bon appetite_.'

'Oh my goodness, did you make this for me, Damien? It looks delicious, thank you so much!'

'You're welcome, Lady Madeline. Eat it while it's still warm, you don't want your crepes to be cold, now would you?'

The angel smiled and shook her head. She cut off a piece of the crepes and put it in her mouth. 'Hmmm... so good!' she said after swallowing it down. 'I swear Damien, you have to be the best cook we've ever had!'

Damien hoped he could also be the best lover she would ever have.

* * *

For the rest of the morning, Damien, along with Nikki, had been busy with preparing the food and drinks for the birthday party that would take place that afternoon. Frederick insisted that only the best food and drink could be presented at the party of his only daughter (or as Damien would like to put it more correctly, his puppet). But the butler didn't complain, though; a good birthday party wouldn't be complete without proper food and drinks and his angel deserved to have a wonderful day. All the chores he had to do on the other days were put aside for today, but Damien was pretty sure he had to be the one to clean up the mess after the party would end.

For the first time in these days, Antoinette had emerged from her bedroom, but the odor of wine that had lingered around her for days had been masked with the heavy smell of perfume; she must've used a whole bottle of that stuff to cover up her previous smell. What was also noticeable about her was the thick layer of make-up on her face. Damien assumed that she wanted to present herself as the respectable, fine, proper woman the people saw her as, but he knew better than that. No matter how much make-up she would wear or perfume she would spray onto herself, Antoinette Lancaster was nothing more but a cowardly drunk and a worthless mother in Damien's eyes.

The first guests arrived when the afternoon started; it were a man and a woman, most likely married, both wearing the finest clothing that only people of the highest class could afford. They barely acknowledged Damien's presence, those rude ignoramuses. They probably assumed the butler was just another poor bastard saved from the slums of New York, but Damien decided to swallowing his pride for once; he couldn't risk being fired, if that would happen he would never see his beloved angel again.

Over the time, more and more guests arrived at the Lancaster mansion. They all gathered in the living room, ignoring the fact that the weather outside was good enough to spend the birthday party in the garden. All of them belonged to the highest class in society, it was very possible that they were also owners of factories, stores or plantations, just like Frederick. Damien and Nikki were given the task to serve the drinks and food to the guests, some would take something, others wouldn't even bother. The butler couldn't help but wonder how many of them had a similar damaged family life like the Lancasters had. Frederick was sharing a conversation with a group of men from around his age about his factories and Antoinette was sitting on the couch, talking with some other women. Would they know about her true face? What Damien noticed as well was that there wasn't a single guest that came close to Madeline's age, it seemed like all of the guests were acquaintances of her parents. So she truly was a lonely girl...

But the only highlight of this entire boring party for the butler was Madeline herself.

She looked so beautiful in that dress she had worn a week ago when she posed for him. Oh, how Damien wished to entertain her in an attempt to lighten her mood, but he couldn't risk to call the wrath of Frederick upon him. His employer had ordered his daughter/puppet to go get her violin from her bedroom and give the guests a private performance. All of the guests gathered around as they watched the young woman play her violin for them. Damien was one of the spectators. He could see that there was something different about her while playing. When she played for him alone, he could see that she enjoyed doing that; but now that she had to play in front of a group of people she barely knew, it didn't look like she enjoyed playing at all. Her parents were showing their daughter off, Damien realized. They wanted to show everybody how perfectly they have raised their well-behaved child, while in reality, they couldn't bat an eye about her. So disgusting, so hypocritical... When Madeline was done playing, everybody clapped. That's when Damien finally noticed a boy that came close to his angel's age, and dear God almighty, did he look foul. Red hair, a round, pudgy face and tiny pig eyes. Damien almost felt sorry for the parents for having to put up with a son with such looks.

As the group of guests scattered to continue their conversations, the butler heard Frederick saying something to his daughter.

'Madeline, can I speak to you for a moment?'

'Yes, Father. What is it?'

Frederick gestured to the ugly boy to come closer. The walking sack of fat walked towards him and smiled shyly at Madeline, who frowned in confusion.

'Have you met Ronald Miller here yet?' Frederick asked.

'Uhm, well... no, I've never met him in my life.' his daughter truthfully replied.

'Ah, then this shall be your first meeting. You see, Ronald here is the son of a brilliant architecture I have met through my work. He's a very wealthy man, he has manners, he's bright... I think he would be the perfect father in law for you.'

Madeline blinked her eyes in pure confusion. 'What? What do you mean by that, Father?'

'What I mean is, Madeline... I think I have picked the perfect future husband for you, when you come to age.'

With her eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and utter confusion, Madeline stared at Ronald, then back at her father, then at Ronald again and at last back at her father. 'But... but Father...' the angel stammered. 'I don't even know him, I have never met this boy in my entire life! I can't marry him, it doesn't make sense!'

'Do you think that matters? Don't you see how lucky you are, Madeline? You will be married to the heir of a rich man!'

'I don't care about that! I don't care about money, I want to marry a man who I love, I don't want to marry a man for the money!'

'Goddamn it, Madeline!' Frederick suddenly shouted furiously at the top of his lungs, causing all of the guests to stop talking and stare at the two. 'I am your father and you do what I tell you to do! I want you to marry Ronald in the future and that's that! Do you hear me?!'

'No! You can't make me! I'm not going to marry that boy, Father!'

'You ungrateful little bitch! How dare you defying me like this! After everything I have done for you!'

'You have done nothing for me! You don't have the right to call yourself my father! I will never marry him, I will never marry anyone you want me to marry, I will resist until the end, if that's the last thing I will do! You can't control me and you never will!'

Uttering a loud sob, Madeline stormed out of the living room and ran up the stairs, while the silent sea of guests stared at her. Damien had never felt his heart breaking this much. He couldn't control himself any longer; he had to go to her!

'Don't worry Master Frederick, I will go get her.' he hastily said while exiting the living room. But he wasn't thinking of forcing Madeline to come downstairs to this dreadful party for a second. As he walked up the stairs, he heard the guests softly muttering, followed by Frederick's voice to please continue with whatever they were talking about. The closer Damien got to the second floor, the more he felt like kicking in the door and give his angel the most comforting embrace she would ever experience in her life. He damned Frederick to Hell for ruining her important day; he hoped that miserable old vulture would never stop suffering in that pit of hellish flames.

As soon as the butler reached the second floor, Damien practically ran towards her bedroom door and knocked three times.

'Lady Madeline? I'm coming in.'

Without waiting for an answer, Damien opened the door and entered the bedroom. The sight made his heart break even more.

Madeline was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the ground, her hands covering her face and uncontrollably trembling in anger. Her breathing was shivering behind her hands, for a moment the butler thought the intense rage would cause his angel to faint. He closed the door without a sound and walked towards his seething flame. He knelt in front of her and carefully touched her knee. Immediately Madeline looked up, her eyes burning with rage.

'Don't you dare to touch me, you-' she yelled before she abruptly cut off when she saw the face of her loyal butler. 'Oh... Damien, it's you... I'm so sorry...'

'Lady Madeline, are you alright?' Damien asked, even though he could easily guess the answer.

His angel had tried so hard to hold back her tears, but now she couldn't keep them back anymore. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she sobbed in rage. 'I hate him so much!' she cried out. 'He wanted me to marry a total stranger for money! How dares he! Who is he to decide who is right for me?! I won't let anyone decide over my life! I'm not a puppet he can control! If he thinks he can control me, he's so wrong! I will run away if I have to! Dear God in Heaven, I hate that man so much!'

Damien didn't say anything back, allowing his furious angel to shout out her anger until she calmed down. Eventually her shouting made place for loud sobbing as more tears trickled down her cheeks. He continued to gently rub her knee in an attempt to comfort her while the sobbing decreased in volume; at one point they became almost inaudible.

'There there... is your heart at ease now, Lady Madeline?'

Madeline nodded, sniffed one time and wiped away her tears. 'Yes, I suppose so...' she murmured. 'God, I can't believe he would do something like this, he had to do it on my birthday! Can you believe that?'

'What your father did was absolutely disgusting indeed.' Damien replied. 'People like him see only one valuable in marriage and that is one's belongings. I will be honest with you, Lady Madeline. My father was like that too. He wanted me to marry someone I didn't love as well, but just like you, I refused. No child should be controlled by their parents like this. You have the right to love anybody you want, Lady Madeline. You are still young, you have a whole life ahead of you. You still have all the time to find that one man you love. A heart is like a bird, it needs to fly in order to find what it needs to find. Believe me when I say that.'

Despite the intense rage she had thrown out of her body a few moments ago, Madeline managed to curl the corners of her mouth into a small smile. It was small, but sincere. 'You are always poetic, aren't you?' she asked. 'But nonetheless... thank you for coming here to comfort me, Damien.'

'I promised you would never have to feel lonely again, remember? Now, allow me to give you your birthday present... I will be right back.'

Damien stood up, turned around and walked out of Madeline's bedroom. He went to his bedroom and retrieved the portrait of his beloved angel; he had put the last details on it last night. Holding the portrait like it was a valuable relic (which it was for him), he went back to Madeline, who was still sitting on the edge of her bed. The butler was pretty sure she was wondering what he was going to give her.

'Happy birthday, Lady Madeline.' he said, presenting the surprise he had been saving for her for a long week.

The young woman widened her eyes in surprise when she saw herself on the canvas. 'Oh... oh my God, Damien! It looks amazing! I-I-I don't know what to say! My goodness! It's wonderful!' Then she stood up and smiled from ear to ear. 'This has to be the greatest birthday present I've ever had! Thank you! Thank you so much!' The angel walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in for a warm hug. The hug caught Damien by surprise, almost causing him to drop portrait. But when he felt his angel resting her head against his chest, he decided to carefully let go of the portrait. With his heart singing in joy, he hugged her back. He was the one who had managed to calm her down on this horrible day, it felt like such an honor to him.

Suddenly, Madeline stood on her tiptoes, her lips almost touching his earlobe. The following words made his rapidly-beating heart feel like it was about to explode right out of his chest.

'I will meet you tonight in your bedroom. Wait for me there.'


	13. Loss Of Innocence

**Chapter 13**

 **Loss Of Innocence**

 **Warning: this chapter contains graphic sexual content. If you do not feel comfortable with this, skip it.**

The screeching noise of the blade of the knife dragging over the plate as Frederick furiously cut his meat would make anybody's ears hurt. When his employer put the piece of meat into his mouth, Damien was convinced that he was too furious to even taste it before swallowing it down. The butler stood in the doorway of the kitchen, in case things would turn grim once more and he had to step in. But the atmosphere in the dinner room itself was pretty much grim to begin with.

The atmosphere in the dinner room was extremely tense, to say the least. You could feel it hanging in the air, hovering over the family like a dark cloud. Frederick was still enraged about the fact that his own daughter had defied his will, but it was not only that; he felt like she had humiliated him in front of all his acquaintances, people who saw him as a powerful gentleman and respected him for his accomplishments. And one shouting match with his daughter had thrown all of that out of the window. Just like Damien had expected, Antoinette had taken off her mask she had been wearing all day long. The smell of perfume had been replaced with the usual odor of red wine. This had been the second glass of wine she had been drinking tonight and she wasn't planning on stopping right there. She too must've felt the suffocating atmosphere, which gave her yet another reason to flee into the world of alcohol.

However, there was only one person at the dinner table who didn't seem to be affected by all of this. And that was Madeline. It surprised Damien how calm she actually looked, eating her dinner without glancing at her seething father for once.

'How dare you humiliating me in front of everyone like that...' Frederick growled. His voice made Damien perk his ears. 'Your own father... you miserable brat. Not an ounce of respect... I'm the one in control here of this house and you will do what I say! Do you understand that?'

Not a single word came out of the girl's mouth.

'Talk to me, young lady! Don't you dare to ignore me as well!' The silence was starting to test Frederick's patience.

Then Madeline looked up and stared back at her father. Damien couldn't see any emotion in her green eyes, she was completely calm... it was almost eerie, if you asked him. 'I would appreciate it if you'd stop talking to me right now, Father.' she said.

Upon hearing the rude answer, Frederick realized that his daughter was still rebelling against him and didn't have any remorse for her actions this afternoon, which only infuriated him more. Letting out a frustrated groan, he threw his knife and fork on his plate, stood up and exited the dinner room, slamming the door shut with a nearly ear-deafening bang. But once again, it didn't seem to bother Madeline one bit, judging by the way she continued eating her dinner. Suddenly, Antoinette sighed loudly and shook her head in disappointment.

'You dumb girl...' she mumbled before taking another sip of her wine; her speech was already starting to slur, it wouldn't take long before she would be drunk once again. But even the insult of her own mother didn't do anything to make Madeline crack. Damien knew what was on her mind right now.

The little nightly visit she had promised to give him earlier today.

There was no way the butler was going to deny it; he too was dying to know what his angel wanted to tell to him once she had entered his little kingdom. Something in her voice when she told him to wait for her in his bedroom had something playful, mischievous... seductive, even. But perhaps that were just his burning desires for his now eighteen-year old angel speaking. But what was so important for her that she wished to speak to him about it in the night? The options were nearly limitless. Was she planning to indeed run away from her loveless home and ask him to assist her with her escape? Was she hatching a plan inside her head to get rid of her parents once and for all and decide to confess it to her loyal butler? (Don't think like that Damien, you have been reading too much detective novels lately, you delusional fool) Or... had she finally gathered the courage to tell him she had been madly in love with him all this time as well?

While he and Nikki cleaned the dirty dishes in the kitchen, Damien noticed he could barely concentrate on the dishes in the cold, filthy dishwater. His physical body may still be in this kitchen, but his mind was already in his bedroom, waiting for his American-French flower to arrive and tell him whatever has been on her chest for so long. The butler knew he shouldn't be expecting from her to say the words he wanted to hear, but he couldn't help but mentally picture her face while confessing her love for him. Her green eyes shyly staring at floor, a soft blush coloring her cheeks in a gentle shade of red, her white front teeth slightly biting her youthfully red lower lip while she tried her best to speak those words that would make Damien's world shake to its core. The butler saw his angel sneaking out of the dinner room earlier when he and Nikki collected the dirty plates; was she heading upstairs already? Damien never thought he would be so glad to finish washing the dishes.

As soon as the butler closed the cupboard after putting in all the dried plates, he exited the kitchen and headed up the stairs, where he would wait for his bride. Nikki should be the one who should bring the master/her lover his cup of fresh tea, not him. He would wait an eternity for him if he had to; he would stay in his role as her faithful butler, just for her. Besides, it felt like an eternity for him to fall in love again after the tragic loss of his beloved Elizabeth, so he wouldn't have any problems with it. With every step he took, he could feel his soul glowing warmer and warmer. Madeline, my love! My angel! My bride! I'm coming for you!

The butler arrived on the second floor and headed straight towards his bedroom. Inside, he sat down on the edge of his bed and from that moment on, he refused to take his eyes off the door for one moment. He expected his angel to come inside at any second... for a brief moment, he was afraid that he would look away that she would never come. But you have to be a brilliant man or a lovesick fool to think like that. As minutes ticked by, Damien started to wonder where Madeline was. Did her father find out what she had been planning to do? He really hoped not, from the bottom of his burning heart.

But then, finally, after an agonizing wait for half an hour, the butler heard footsteps heading towards the door. He saw the door handle turning down, followed by creaking and there she was, standing in the doorway.

Madeline.

'Hello Damien...' she said with a soft voice. 'I'm sorry I made you wait for so long.'

The now eighteen-year old angel stepped inside the bedroom and closed the door behind her as carefully as she could; a faint click could be heard when the door entered its frame. Oh, she was so careful, so gentle, as if she was afraid her perverted father or that failure who was supposed to be her mother would catch her if a sound would be a little too loud. This was saying something about her intentions, Damien was convinced about that. The butler shook his head, reassuring his angel. 'Don't worry about that, Lady Madeline. I didn't have any plans for tonight anyway.'

Madeline softly chuckled before the corners of her mouth formed a straight line again. 'I stayed in my bedroom until I was sure the coast was clear. Father is in his office doing his work and Mother is already sound asleep. I'm not sure what Nikki is doing right now, but... I can guess my father will have his hands full with her soon enough. Again, sorry that I made you wait. I should've told you in the afternoon... how rude of me.'

'You're not rude at all.' You, _ma chère ange_ , are perfect to me in every single way.

'I'm glad you think of me that way. At least I now know that there's someone in this mansion who doesn't speak bad of me...'

'Lady Madeline, why would I ever speak bad of you?'

'Because... according to my parents, I must be the worst mistake they have ever made in their entire lives, besides from marrying each other. They now know their daughter doesn't think the same way like them, which makes me a failure in their eyes for sure.'

Damien stood up, on the verge of not believing his ears. 'If there is anybody who isn't a failure on this polluted, filth-drenched, ignoramus-inhabited Earth, that would be you, milady. To me, you're a young, brilliant and kind woman. I hope you will remember that for the rest of your life.'

The angel let out a soft sigh and her cheeks slowly started to color red. 'Damien...' she whispered. Then she quickly blinked her eyes, as if she was trying to snap out of something. 'Forgive me, let's not trail off. Let's get to the point at once before we lose more precious time. The reason why... You see, the reason why I wanted to meet you tonight is... that... well... I have a confession for you.'

The world around Damien Sandow felt like it was standing still. He could barely hear his own thoughts over the sound of his rapidly beating heart. Was this it? Was this really what he had been hoping for this entire day? And just like he had imagined, he saw Madeline's cheeks coloring redder and redder, to the point where the shade of her blush almost resembled the color of the petals of the roses in the garden. The angel slightly bit her lower lip, as if the words were stuck in her throat.

'What do you want to tell me, Lady Madeline?' Damien asked, his throat starting to become dry.

Finally gathering enough courage to speak, Madeline let go of her lower lip. 'Well... first of all, you have to promise that you won't tell this to Father. Or Mother. Or anyone, for that matter. Do you promise that?'

'You have my word.'

'I... I... I have been waiting for this day for so long, Damien.' With her cheeks now fully red, Madeline looked her butler straight in the eyes, realizing that there was no turning back now. It was now or never for her. 'Now that I'm finally old enough, I can tell you everything. God, you have no idea how much I've been looking forward to my birthday lately. From the first day you started working here, I haven't been sleeping well. Because you know why? It's all your fault. No matter how hard I try, I can't get your face out of my head. Whenever I close my eyes, I only see you, Damien.' And without any warning, Madeline wrapped her arms around Damien's waste, causing all of his blood to rush towards his head and his heart to beat even faster. 'You are the first person to ever treat me with kindness, I can't thank you enough for that. My life was so lonely before you arrived here. You make me feel like I matter, like I'm an actual human being instead of some kind of puppet my father wishes to control. You care about me and give me attention. Nobody has ever done that for me. Up until now, I never really knew how it was like to receive love from a man... but now I think I'm able to say that I've never felt any more love for anybody else than you, Damien. I thought things like this would only happen in romantic novels, but now I'm so happy that I can finally feel it! Damien... I love you so much... more than you can even imagine.'

Damien felt like gravity had ceased to exist around him; the last time he had felt like this was fourteen years ago, on that fateful night in the woods with Elizabeth. He thought he was dreaming, this all felt so surreal, no, this was beyond surreal. But if this was indeed a dream... then he wished to never wake up again. But he knew he was wide-awake, this was all reality, the wonderful reality. Finally, after many days of torturous self-control, the butler decided to share his honest feelings with his angel as well.

'Lady Madeline... I never thought this day would ever come. Only in my wildest dreams, I would imagine you saying those words. Believe me when I say that from the first moment I saw you, I fell for you. I have been waiting all my life for a beautiful angel like you.'

'Damien...'

Hearing her whisper his name made Damien's last bit of self-control fade away like the last remaining bit of snow on the first day of spring. The butler didn't hesitate for one moment to press his hungry lips against his angel's, capturing it in a passionate kiss, immediately earning a stifled moan from her. He put his hands on her burning red cheeks, gently pulling her face closer to his, deepening the kiss. Peeking through his eyelashes, he saw that she had fully given into the first kiss a man had ever given her. Damien was so honored to be that man. Her lips were slightly trembling, so innocent, so sweet... it made the butler even more drunk on the love that had been consuming him day and night. But for as much he wished for this kiss to last forever, they soon both needed air. With a wet pop, their lips parted.

Opening his eyes, Damien heard Madeline softly panting between her red, wet, love-hungry lips, still blushing from ear to ear. Little did he know he had unleashed something inside of the angel... That same playful, slightly mischievous smile that fit her so well in some way decided to make an appearance on her face. Damien suddenly heard the rustling noise of a dress being taken off and before he could say something, he watched as Madeline's dress slide off her body, touching the wooden floor with a soft rustle. The butler's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he finally saw that adorable naked body that been hidden from his eyes all this time. Her breasts were small, but large enough for his hands to hold them and her body was so beautifully slender. Looking down, the butler saw that she wasn't wearing any undergarments.

'Lady Madeline...' Damien whispered with a hoarse voice.

'Oh, please... just call me Madeline.' the angel replied, not showing any embarrassment about showing her fully naked body to her butler. Her smile was now not only playful, but lustful as well. Then she suddenly grabbed his hand and allowed him to touch her lower back, just a few millimeters away from her behind. All the blood that had been flowing to his head a few moments ago was now flowing towards his groin. 'Take me to your bed, Damien...'

There was no need for the butler to be told that twice. With his pants growing uncomfortably tighter by the second, Damien guided his naked angel to his bed, where she immediately lied down on the sheets, the smile not ever leaving her face. Glancing at her legs, Damien saw that she was still wearing her stainless white socks and black strap shoes. Being the loyal butler he would always be for her, he carefully took them off, putting them on the floor next to the bed; while he did that, he couldn't help but peppering those youthful legs with soft kisses, causing Madeline to softly giggle. The bandage on her knee had been taken off; the cut had turned into a thin red line. Once he was done with that, he leaned back up and kissed his angel once more, earning a soft hum from her. His hand searched for her left breast and found it, gently massaging it. Madeline slightly opened her mouth to let out a trembling moan, urging the butler to continue. He occasionally softly pinched her nipple, causing it to erect. Damien's lips left hers and traveled down her neck, where he kissed her sensitive skin. Angels had to be touched with care. These passionate acts made Madeline's skin crawl... in a good way.

'Let... Let me, ah... Let me get on top of you, please...' she whispered.

The butler whispered a barely audible 'As you wish...' before he lied down on his back, allowing Madeline to crawl on top of him. The sight of this beautiful angel he had been longing so much for kneeling over him, naked like a newborn baby, made him so hard that it became just painful. Letting out a soft chuckle, Madeline undid the buttons of his waistcoat and blouse, exposing his bare chest.

'Damien, you have touched me... now allow me to touch you.'

Feeling her soft, innocent hands caressing his chest was more than enough to nearly drive Damien raving mad with passion. It were her touches that were doing this to him; if her touches alone were enough to almost drive him insane, then imagine what would happen to him once he was inside her... Madeline moved her hands towards the butler's pants and slowly unbuttoned it. She slightly pulled it down along with his underwear, finally allowing Damien's fully erected manhood to be freed.

'Oh my...' Madeline whispered in surprise; not even that could remove the smile from her face. 'Very well then, here we go...' She positioned herself on top of him, more than ready for what was going to come next. Damien let out a soft hiss when he felt the tip of his manhood touching her wet nether lips. Biting her lower lip, the angel lowered herself on his manhood.

'Ow...' she whimpered, failing to ignore the rather painful pressure against her entrance. But despite that, she forced herself to lower down more, but it didn't go much further in than the tip of the head, causing her to let out another whimper of pain. Damien couldn't stand seeing her being in pain like this.

'Madeline, don't do this to yourself. If you don't get it more wet first, it's going to be beyond painful for you. Come here...'

The butler cupped the behind of his angel, gesturing her to scoot closer to his face. Frowning in curiousness, Madeline did so. Now her soft, pink, sensitive flesh was hovering just millimeters away from Damien's mouth. She let out a shivering whimper when she felt the butler's hot breath washing over her.

'Allow me to make you feel good...' Damien said, his voice raw with passion. Then he closed his eyes and ran his tongue over her flesh before fully burying his mouth against it.

Madeline loudly gasped, arching her back as she let out a shaky cry. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, they were burning so much. Never in her entire life she had a tongue pleasuring her... and it felt so strange, but at the same time, it felt so good. God, her head felt like spinning, she almost couldn't think straight anymore... Damien's hands steadily held her in place, often gently squeezing the two globes of flesh. He couldn't get enough of her bitter juices as he lapped at her flesh. Every time when his tongue ran over that one small bundle of nerves, he heard a moan, gasp or cry escaping Madeline's mouth, it made him feel so good to be able to give her that pleasure. After he gave a few more licks, he abruptly stopped.

'There... you should be ready now, Madeline.' the butler said, licking his lips clean. He sat up and gently pushed Madeline on her back. 'I think this position will be way better for you.' Damien positioned the tip of his manhood against her wet entrance; feeling the sensation made the young girl bite her lower lip in mild nervousness. 'Here I come...'

Damien started slowly pushing in, softly hissing at the warm tightness around his shaft. As he pushed in deeper and deeper, Madeline couldn't help but let out a soft whimper before quickly covering her mouth with both of her hands. With one last push, Damien had fully buried himself in her, breaking through the barrier of her virginity. Madeline could feel a scorching pain inside her, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and let out a barely audible cry; Damien could swear that he saw small tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

'Open your eyes, my darling...'

Slowly opening her eyes, Madeline saw the face she loved so much, gently smiling at her. Damien kissed her on her lips, causing the pain to ease for her. The girl let out a relaxed sigh, appreciating this sweet gesture.

'Does this hurt too much for you?' the butler asked. 'Because if it does, I will stop if you want to.'

Madeline shook her head. 'No, I can take it, don't worry about it... Please, please do continue...'

Damien started thrusting himself in and out with a slow, but steady pace. Madeline once again closed her eyes and tried her best to relax, trying her best to ignore the burning pain. Dear God, she was so wet, so warm, so tight... Damien wanted to move faster, but he wanted his angel to get used to the feeling of being filled. With each thrust, Madeline softly moaned, feeling something change. The pain slowly faded away and was replaced with pleasure she had never felt in her entire life. A strange kind of pressure build up inside her, which quickly made her head feel light... in a good way.

'Ah yes, Damien... God, please don't stop, I beg of you... It feels so good!' she cried out.

Hearing those passionate words coming out of her mouth urged the butler to move faster, now moving in a quicker pace. Madeline let out another pleasured cry, slightly arching her back as she dug her nails into Damien's lower back. Love and passion raged like a wildfire between the two, burning through their loins and clouding their minds. A thin sheet of sweat covered both of their bodies. The sound of skin slapping against skin sounded like the finest music to Damien's ears. In a fit of burning passion, he captured Madeline's lips in a loving kiss, showing her how much he loved her; his angel was more than eager to kiss him back.

After a few more minutes of thrusting, the butler felt he was about to fall over the edge. 'Ah... Madeline... Madeline!' He swiftly pulled out at the last moment; with three quick strokes, Damien released his load with a soft groan, staining the youthful, flat belly with thick drops of white. Looking down at his angel, he swore he had never saw something this beautiful in his life; Madeline's eyes were closed, her chest was heaving up and down, her cheeks were pure red and a single drop of sweat trickled down her temple. He did this to her, he had given her so much pleasure this night... this had to be the most wonderful night of his life.

Suddenly, Madeline slowly opened her eyes and stared at him through her eyelashes. She stretched her arms, reaching out for him. 'Damien...' she whispered.

He couldn't refuse this, not in a million years. Damien leaned in closer and allowed his angel to wrap her arms around him, capturing him in an embrace. She kissed him on his lips, causing the butler to let out a hum.

Tonight, his deepest desires had finally come true.


	14. The Fire That Makes The Heart Burn

**Chapter 14**

 **The Fire That Makes The Heart Burn**

The tweeting of the birds resting on the window sill followed Damien straight into his dreams the following morning. The butler softly groaned, his eyelids still felt way too heavy to open them. He tried to ignore the birds and stay asleep, but those damn animals had succeeded in taking the sleepiness away from him. While still attempting to open his eyes, Damien cursed those animals and their untimely singing for interrupting one of the best dreams he ever had. Of course anyone could guess that his beloved angel Madeline was in it, why wouldn't it be such a pleasant dream if she was present in it? Behind his closed eyes, Damien could still perfectly remember what it was about. Madeline was lying on a huge bed with sheets of white velvet, relaxing and smiling seductively at her butler. She was once again stark naked, the cut that once decorated her delicate knee had been completely healed. There was something that made her appearance even more beautiful in Damien's eyes; and those were her invisible angel wings she had on her back all along, now fully visible. The angel had finally revealed her true form to him, sweet page of Elizabeth! Calling out her lover's name with a soft voice, she reached out for him, inviting him to join her on the bed. And Damien most certainly did that. Even in his dreams, he couldn't get enough of her beautiful body. Every kiss, every lick, every touch made her shiver in a good way and emit sweet sounds of pleasure. Once again, Damien cursed those loud birds to Hell for snapping him out of it.

His eyelids were finally light enough to open. Peeking through them, Damien saw that the morning sun had already risen, gently illuminating the bedroom. Looking around him, this actually gave the butler the inspiration for a possible new painting. But if Madeline ever wanted him to make a thousand new portraits of her, then it definitely would have to wait; nothing more beautiful could be painted on a canvas other than his angel's face. Just then, Damien saw a very small pool of blood staining the sheets.

The remains of Madeline's virginity, he realized.

Then it suddenly struck him; Madeline was a virgin before she became his on that magical night. She had entrusted the most precious gift a woman could ever possess to him, so that meant she trusted him enough to treasure it for her... Damien could almost burst with pride. Last night she was just a girl, but now on this morning, she had fully changed into a young woman... a most intriguing transformation indeed.

Suddenly, a soft sigh made the butler perk his ears. Looking to his left, he saw a slightly tangled bush of golden wavy hair moving and felt something brushing against his body. And then, a few seconds later, he locked eyes with Madeline. She was just as sleepy as he was, lazily staring at her lover through her heavy eyelids. It all came back to Damien now. After they both had sank down back to Earth after their intense love-making session, his angel had cuddled up with him underneath the sheets, lying in the arms she felt so safe in and resting her head against his chest. His calm, rhythmic heartbeat must've lulled her to sleep. Upon seeing the face that had been preventing her of sleep for many nights, Madeline smiled at Damien.

'Did those birds wake you up too?' she asked with a soft voice.

Hearing her speak almost brought him back to the dream he had of her last night. 'Yes, they did.' Damien replied. 'They possess such a wonderful voice, but... I wished they would've sang at another time.'

The angel softly chuckled. 'Indeed. Did you sleep well, my love?'

He really did become a true lover in her eyes... dear God, Damien thought he was going to die with happiness for a second. 'I've slept well, thank you Lady Madeline. And you?'

'What did I tell you about calling me Lady Madeline, you silly man?' the angel chuckled.

'Oh yes, that's right. Pardon me for that.'

'All is forgiven.'

Madeline slightly leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on the butler's kiss, causing him to close his eyes and give in. He suddenly felt he should return an act of endearment to her and ran his fingers through her hair over and over again. Damien had never felt this peaceful before, this even felt better than touching her in his dream. How much he wished for this tranquility to last forever, just him and his bride in this bed, every other resident in the Lancaster mansion vanished from this Earth...

'I'm so happy now, Damien...' Madeline said after breaking the kiss. 'I have never felt this happy in my entire life, this is all I have ever asked for. Thank you so much. I... I will never forget last night, for as long as I'll live.'

'You're welcome, my dear Madeline.' A kiss on her forehead ended the reply. 'You can't imagine how happy I am as well.'

Madeline sat up and crawled over Damien, exiting the bed. When the butler glanced at her, he could see dried up trickles of blood on her inner thighs; another reminder of her transformation last night. 'If I were you, I'd start making breakfast already.' Madeline said while picking up her discarded clothes. 'Father wouldn't be pleased at all when he finds out his butler didn't prepare his breakfast on time and I really don't want you to get into trouble, you know...'

'Thank you for your concern, but don't you worry about me. Don't let anyone catch you, do you understand, Madeline?'

'You're so sweet, Damien...' Madeline kissed him on the cheek after she finished picking up her clothes. 'That's why I fell in love with you in the first place. Now hurry up, will you?' She walked towards the door and opened it, but didn't exit the bedroom before peeking through the door opening to make sure the coast was clear. Because of this, Damien could get a perfect view on the buttocks of his angel; the thought of touching them once again made him shiver with passion.

'I'll see you later, Damien.' Madeline said, glancing at the butler over her shoulder. A small smile was seen on her face. ' _Je t'aime._ '

 _'Je vous aime plus_ , Madeline...'

And then she left. Damien listened to her footsteps until he heard the door of her bedroom closing shut. Thank goodness, she got there without being caught. As much as the butler would've loved to stay in his bed, close his eyes and recall every single sensual detail of last night, his angel was right. Breakfast had to be prepared right now. When Damien got out of his bed, he glanced at the bloodstain on the sheets one more time. He should definitely not forget to wash those later.

* * *

Even while she was eating her bowl of fresh porridge at the dinner table, the smile didn't appear from Madeline's face, she was that happy.

Frederick, who was still very angry about the incident at the birthday party that he had caused in the first place, didn't speak a word to his daughter while sharing the dinner table with her and immediately left when he was done eating. Refusing to force his angel to eat her breakfast all by herself, Damien joined her at the dinner table to keep her company. Antoinette didn't bother to show up to have breakfast; when Damien questioned Madeline about it, she said that this happens many times; there were rarely any times where her mother would have breakfast together with her husband and daughter.

'The wine makes her sleep for hours. There are even times where she has breakfast in the afternoon.' the butler's angel replied before continuing eating her porridge. Damien couldn't help but shake his head in contempt; what a disgrace this family was.

But thankfully at least one family member was pure enough for him to love.

After Damien had dressed up and hidden the bloody sheets underneath his bed, he and Madeline went to the garden to teach her the daily private lessons. Man of her dreams or not, the butler still believed a young girl like her should have her education as her main priority; if she wanted to succeed in her future, she had to become a well-educated woman. A butler, a tutor and a passionate lover in disguise; Damien never thought he would ever hold down three professions at the time.

'What a pleasant weather it is today, isn't it Damien?' Madeline asked when they got closer to the table and chairs where they would settle down. 'I love days like these. It's not too cold and not too warm either. Just perfect.'

'Yes, the weather is indeed very pleasant... but not as pleasant as you, my dear.' Damien was never going to stop showing her affection, not by a long time.

'You are so romantic!' Madeline giggled, taking a hold of the butler's hand. The feeling of their hands meeting each other made the both of them feel even more connected.

They sat down at the table. Damien opened the French study book and briefly scratched the back of his head. 'Alright then, _mon cher Madeline.. allons-nous commencer?_ '

' _Oui, Monsieur Damien._ '

Many minutes went by, but for the butler/tutor, it felt like he and his angelic flame had been speaking French for an eternity. He tried his absolute best to concentrate on the French words that decorated the pages, he really did, but now knowing what he and his pupil had done last night, tutoring her almost felt like a torture. Not in the painful way, that was. The torture was to look at his angel with the strong urge of reenacting everything that had happened that night with her, right here, in this garden full of blood red roses, but thanks to his inhuman self-control, Damien managed to control himself. No, he would never force himself on Madeline; only animals would do that, like his late father once said when he once read an article in a newspaper about a series of brutal rapes and beatings of unfortunate women in a rich neighborhood (Damien couldn't remember whether the attacker was ever caught, but he always thought the rapist must've been an escaped lunatic). He was going to treat Madeline the way she deserved. An angel like her should be gently treated at any time. But no matter how hard Damien tried to ignore it, the lustful atmosphere that hung around the butler/tutor/passionate lover and his flame refused to go away. If this atmosphere had a color, Damien imagined it would be dark pink with a few streaks of gold.

 _'Quand je suis à Paris il ya cinq mois, je suis impatient de la Tour Eiffel..._ ' Damien was narrating as a hand suddenly obscured the pages, pulling down the study book. His eyes locked with Madeline's, who had a seductive smile displayed on her face. The smile made Damien's stomach flutter; did he unleash his angel's inner vixen after everything that happened last night?

'Damien, do you really think I can still concentrate on my lessons after what you did?' she said. She yanked the study book out of the butler's hand and carelessly tossed it onto the table, not keeping her eyes off of him for a second. Damien could swear that he saw a twinkle in her eyes... and it was a perfect combination with the smile on her face. The butler felt his blood rushing to his head when Madeline got up from her chair and sat down on his lap. Softly giggling, she rested her temple against his collarbone, the sensation of her hair brushing against his jaw line made him close his eyes and sigh, giving into the seduction. There was no way he could ever refuse the touches of an angel, feeling her body against his nearly drove him crazy with passion.

'It's just the two of us...' Madeline whispered; her warm breath washing over the skin of his earlobe made a pleasant kind of shiver run over his spine. 'Kiss me, Damien...'

'Madeline, wait... what if anyone catches us? We shouldn't make rash decisions.'

His angel softly chuckled. 'What did I tell you, you silly man? Before you came downstairs, I saw Father leaving with Nikki in the carriage, they were going to check on the factories in New York. And you don't have to worry about Mother either, she's most likely still asleep by now. Not even an exploding bomb could wake her up.'

This reassured Damien a lot. Hearing this allowed the flames that were licking at his heart to consume it. 'Very well then. Come here, my angel.' He captured Madeline's lips in a loving kiss, causing her to let out a muffled, playful giggle. While Damien felt the corners of her mouth curling into a smile against the kiss, Madeline wrapped her arms around the butler's neck, deepening their kiss. Just then, Damien felt the urge to go a little step further. With his tongue he pried through Madeline's lips and entered her mouth. Upon feeling his tongue brushing against hers, the angel let out a surprised 'Hmm?' and abruptly ended the kiss, staring at Damien in mild shock.

'What in the world was that?' she asked.

'That my dear, is what the French call a French kiss.' It surprised Damien that pure sexual intercourse did nothing to make Madeline blush in shyness, but a simple French kiss was way too intense for her.

'Oh... Could you... could you do that again, please?'

'Of course.'

Damien pressed his lips against Madeline for the second, this time entering her mouth with his tongue without waiting. The angel finally dared to do something in return, starting to move her tongue and touching his; it didn't last long before the two tongues were caught in a heated dance. Peeking through his eyelashes, Damien saw Madeline's cheeks had colored bright red already. Soon the secret lovers both needed air. A very thin line of saliva kept them together when they broke the kiss.

'Make love to me, Damien...' Madeline panted. 'I want you... I want you inside me, now!'

The butler briefly nodded, the fire completely consuming his heart when he gently pushed his angel off of his lap, buried his hands underneath the skirt of her dress and found her undergarments, pulling them down immediately. His pants had already become uncomfortably tight because of the kiss.

'You want to know what other method the French use during lovemaking, Madeline?' he asked with a slightly hoarse voice.

'No, what is it?'

'I will show you. Come, follow me.'

Damien couldn't imagine a more romantic place to make love with his angel at; the precious rosebushes. He only had to find a spot where the thorns wouldn't prick them. He grabbed Madeline's hand and walked towards the rosebushes, where he quickly spotted a safe spot. The butler lied down there, with Madeline lying on top of him.

'Turn around so you will face my crotch.' Damien said while quickly sitting up to unbutton his pants, freeing his erected manhood before he lied back down. Madeline briefly frowned in confusion, but did what was asked her to do anyway. Her lower body was now positioned over Damien face, while she was looking right at his nearly painfully hard life source. The young woman felt the butler lifting the skirt of her dress, draping it over her back and fully exposing her naked lower body.

'Now, do you happen to know about the act of fellatio, my dear Madeline?' Damien asked before licking his lips.

'Um... no...'

The butler could sense a hint of hesitation in his angel's voice. 'Listen... if you do not feel comfortable about doing this, there are many other posi-' But Damien's words were drawn out by a wanton moan when he felt Madeline's tongue running over the head before engulfing it with her warm mouth. His head felt like spinning when she started slowly bobbing her head up and down. When she let out a soft moan, her voice caused pleasant vibrations to be send down his shaft, almost driving him raving mad with passion. He spread the folds with his thumbs, revealing the soft, pink flesh he had been so hungry for and immediately dove in. Damien's wet tongue made Madeline emit a louder moan, causing more pleasant vibrations. It was a cycle of pure pleasure, making both of the lovers want to go on even more. Dear God, this was pure bliss. Even though this was the first time Madeline had orally pleasured him, her sucking was almost enough to make Damien fall over the edge. He was getting close, so close...

Suddenly the warm wetness let go of his manhood, leaving it covered in saliva. 'Damien... I want to ride you...' Madeline panted, her lips wet and red. 'Please, let me ride you!'

Without waiting for an answer, the young woman got off of him and positioned herself on top of Damien's manhood. The butler, still slightly dazed from the passionate treatment, rested his hands on her thighs. A pleasured cry escaped his mouth when Madeline lowered herself, coating his shaft in soft, wet warmness once again. Madeline closed her eyes and smiled from ear to ear when she felt the first sparks of pleasure inside her. 'Yesss...' she moaned. Then she started moving her hips, practically bouncing up and down on his manhood.

Damien allowed his angel to take full control over him, making the fire that had consumed his heart first now engulf his entire body. Pleasure filled every vein inside him, making him beg this would last forever. He watched as Madeline rode him like she had done this many times before; the look of pure pleasure displayed on her face even gave him pleasure as well. He would've never thought that this beautiful creature riding him on the day he arrived in this mansion, dear God almighty, for a moment Damien thought he was going insane. After a little while, he could feel himself getting close again.

'Madeline...' he panted. 'If you keep doing that, I will... I will... oh God, Madeline!'

He grabbed her hips and slightly lifted her up, causing his manhood to slip out of her just in time. It took only two quick strokes for Damien to finally reach his climax, thick drops of white trickling down the knuckles of his hand.

The lovers both didn't move for a little moment, needing some time to sink down back to Earth. Then Madeline got off of the butler and lied down next to him, resting her head on his chest. His heart was beating so fast, but it sounded like the most calming lullaby in the world to her. Damien gently kissed her on the head while he ran his fingers through her hair over and over again. Together they both stared at the clear blue sky, not saying anything, enjoying this sweet moment of tranquility.

'Damien?' Madeline suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

'Hmm?'

'After everything we have done... we are lovers now, right?'

'Yes, of course we are.'

Madeline softly chuckled and kissed him on his cheeks. 'That makes me so happy... let's stay lovers forever.'

'I wouldn't wish for anything better than that, my dear Madeline.'


	15. Dry Veins

**Chapter 15**

 **Dry Veins**

The following five days had to be the most intense days of Damien's life. Never had his heart experienced so much joy.

The butler had finally gotten what he had wished for from the very first day he started working in the Lancaster mansion; Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster, the angel who had greeted him so politely in that sea of roses, had become his lover. It felt like such an honor to him to be the first person in her life to give her the love, compassion and attention she had been craving for so many years, he had stepped into her lonely life and filled it up to the brim with nothing more but love. Those cracks that had been decorating her soul thanks to her neglectful parents had now been fully restored, filled up with dark pink and streaks of sparkling gold; yes, the same colors Damien would use if he had to describe that atmosphere when they made love between the roses that other day. When Damien would close his eyes, Damien could imagine how her repaired soul would look like; a transparent version of his beloved Madeline, cracks with dark pink and some gold here and there, pulsing through the frail, transparent skin. Madeline Lancaster, the Restored Angel.

Ever since the butler and the young woman became secret lovers, he had seen a definite change in her behavior. Their hidden relationship did nothing to stop Frederick's verbal abuse towards Antoinette, still belittling and shouting at her at the dinner table whenever her drunkenness repulsed him once again; Antoinette of course wouldn't even bother to respond to her husband, numbed by years of alcoholism and denial. Damien often couldn't help but stand in the doorway of the kitchen, making sure his angel wouldn't be unfortunate enough to be subjected to Frederick's heartless words as well. But Madeline didn't seemed to be bothered by all of this at all, eating her dinner like nothing was happening. No, something entirely else was on the girl's mind... and that was to go to her beloved butler as soon as she was done with eating.

Only when Frederick or nobody else was around, the two lovers were free to be together. They both promised to not ever let this secret be exposed, there was no way Frederick had to find out about this. Because if he did, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment to fire Damien and disown Madeline. The butler didn't doubt Madeline's words when she told him this; after seeing and hearing everything that Frederick had done, he truly believed he was more than capable of doing that. So far, they had managed to keep their little, passionate secret to themselves... and they both wanted it to stay that way. To be honest, Damien was more worried about Frederick finding out that he had been making love to his daughter all this time than about Antoinette being the one to find out. She was way too passive to tell Frederick about this; just like the fact that her husband was mercilessly cheating on her with Nikki, she would be in denial about the forbidden relationship between Madeline and Damien. No, that drunk cow wouldn't be a threat to them. But Nikki... she was more likely to rat them out. They definitely needed to be careful around her as well.

There wasn't a single day where the butler wouldn't receive a loving kiss from his angel. Her lips didn't tremble anymore when she kissed him, now that she had gotten used to doing this. But nonetheless, her soft, addictive, red lips never lost their love and warmth whenever she kissed him. What definitely marked their secret relationship was sexual intercourse.

Lots of sexual intercourse.

Damien had unleashed the lustful vixen that had been hiding inside Madeline on the night he had taken her virginity. It was often her who initiated it. As soon as Damien saw the warm twinkle in her eyes along with the small, playful smile on her face, he knew what she was thinking about. But Damien would never refuse; he too wanted it, just as much as she did. He had been desiring her for so long, now he was finally able to unleash his deepest desires on her. It surprised him however what scenarios Madeline had in her head, though. He remembered one time where his angel asked him to fill the bathtub with hot water, claiming that she wanted to take a bath. Of course the butler did this for her, clouding the white-tiled bathroom with steam and closing the tap when the warm water almost reached the top of the bathtub. Just when he wanted to exit to give Madeline the privacy she needed, she suddenly grabbed his hand and looked at him with that same seductive smile.

'But I don't want to bathe alone, Damien...'

Lying in the bathtub with his angel's naked body resting against him... there was no way Damien could ever refuse that. And so, after he stripped himself, he entered the bathtub with her. At first the signs of endearment were nothing more but a few soft kisses and a bit of gentle caressing, but the warm water made the passion that was already flaring inside them quickly increase in temperature. One of Damien's hands found her left breast while his other hand found that one small nub of nerves, making Madeline squirm in pleasure. She had a hard time keeping her voice down as the butler rubbed her clit raw. Damien could feel the juices that flowed from her nether lips on his fingertips, warmer than the bathwater itself. And just like that, Madeline experienced her first ever orgasm, making her let out a high-pitched, barely audible cry. After that, she rested her head against the butler's collarbone, resting along with him until the bathwater became lukewarm.

And then there was this other time where she visited him in his bedroom. After sharing a couple of passionate kisses, Madeline asked Damien to position the large mirror in front of the bed, so they could watch themselves while making love. That erotic idea made the butler's stomach flutter in desire. After he put the mirror in front of the bed, he and Madeline watched themselves as the butler pounded himself in and out of his angel, who was on all fours. Dear God, he would never forget their reflections, no matter how old he would become; that had to be the most erotic thing Damien had ever seen.

But of course their relationship didn't resolve about the pleasures of the flesh only. There were many other tender moments they had together without their bodies becoming one. Madeline would also enjoy Damien's company while she was doing her favorite hobbies, like reading or playing her violin. In the family's private library, Damien would sit down in the comfortable leather chair with Madeline sitting on his lap. Together they read her favorite books, the butler could clearly see she absolutely loved having him here with her.

What she also loved to do was to give her butler private concerts in her bedroom. Damien couldn't get enough of the sweet music of her violin, which she played with so much care and elegance. There was no mistake that Madeline was talented at this. He told this every time when Madeline finished playing.

Madeline, his beautiful angel... he would never stop loving her.

* * *

'Damien?'

Frederick's voice made the butler snap out of his thoughts, letting go of the large wooden spoon he used to stir the soup with. Tonight the Lancasters would enjoy a bowl of fresh bowl of tomato soup that he had been working on for an hour. The butler himself actually enjoyed eating tomato soup that he made himself, he remembered often eating it after a long day of work back in his London days. He hoped Madeline would love eating fresh soup as much as he did, because after all, he prepared this for her with a lot of care.

What did Frederick want from him? He had never entered the kitchen during these days, since he took his meals to be prepared by his servants entirely for granted. For a split moment, Damien was worried that he had found out about what was happening between him and Madeline. The butler decided to do his best to retain his calm and collected attitude.

'Yes, Master Frederick?' he asked, turning around to face his employer.

'Do you know if my wife is healthy enough to come join dinner with us?'

'I have been visiting her before I started cooking, she said she feels too ill to eat.'

Frederick shook his head in contempt. 'That sad excuse of a woman... very well. We shall dine without her, I'll tell Nikki to put one less bowl on the table.'

It looked like today Antoinette's appalling diet of red wine finally caught up with her. She would only exit her bedroom in the afternoon on most days, but today she didn't leave her bed for one time; that was because she was very ill. When Frederick ordered Damien to change sheets of their bed, he saw her lying in the large bed, her back facing him and groaning miserably when she heard the door opening.

'Please, leave me alone...' she had groaned; not even her French accent didn't do anything to make her sound any more graceful. 'I feel like I'm going to vomit at any moment...'

And when the butler pulled the curtains away and attempted to open the window to let in some fresh air into this bedroom that reeked of red wine, drunken ignorance and a failed marriage, the poor cow let out a loud groan and covered her face with the sheets. 'For God's sake, you fool! Close those curtains, my head feels like exploding!' she cried out. And so Antoinette spend the rest of her day in her bed, all alone, sleeping in the hope of the sickness to go away, with a murderous hangover and a bucket that was filled with vomit every half hour. What a miserable life this woman had.

'Say, now that I'm talking to you now... may I ask you how the studies of Madeline are coming along?' Frederick asked. 'Is she paying any attention to you? If not, do not be afraid of punishing her.'

'Oh no, there's no need to punish her for anything, Master Frederick. Madeline is in fact an excellent student, you truly are blessed with a very intelligent daughter.' And she was an excellent lover as well.

'Ah, that's what I like to hear. I'm glad that girl finally has at least some sense in her head, I certainly hope she hasn't been disrespectful to-'

A loud, high-pitched, horrified scream that would put the banshees in Ireland to shame made the mansion look like a haunted house, echoing through the hallways. Both men widened their eyes in surprise as the scream filled up every empty spot inside their heads.

'What the devil?!' Frederick exclaimed in shock. 'That... that sounded like Nikki!'

'I believe it was coming from upstairs! Perhaps she's in trouble!'

Damien raced towards the door of the kitchen, not even bothering to close it when he exited. Frederick followed him, more than eager to know what had caused the maid to scream like that. Just when they were about to walk up the stairs, the door of the dinner room opened and Madeline ran towards them. Damien knew she had been reading a book at the dinner table while she was waiting for dinner to be ready all this time, there was no way she couldn't have heard the scream. And it was most likely she did, judging by how frightened her widened green eyes looked.

'Who was screaming like that?' she asked. 'What is happening here?'

'Lady Madeline, you'd better stay behind us, for your own sake!' Damien replied, not planning on making the mistake of not calling her 'lady' in front of Frederick. And who knows, perhaps the reason why Nikki screamed would scar her mind for life.

The three ran up the stairs, the thumping of their footsteps echoing through the main hall. Once they arrived on the second floor, Damien looked to his left, where he saw Nikki lying on the ground, facing the doorway of the bathroom. Whatever she had seen, it was like it had paralyzed her with horror. The maid couldn't keep her eyes of whatever was inside in that bathroom as her breathing became more shallow, as if she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

'Nikki!' Frederick exclaimed when they ran towards her. 'For God's sake, woman! Pull yourself together! What happened?! Tell me now!'

Unable to speak one word, Nikki pointed at the bathroom with a trembling finger. Her face was as white as a sheet, her eyes widened with complete shock.

The scenario inside the bathroom reminded Damien of a slaughterhouse. No, scrap that; the crime scene of a merciless, bloodthirsty killer.

The lifeless body of Antoinette was lying in the bathtub filled with water, but the woman was still fully dressed. Her eyes were closed, as if she was in a deep sleep... but she was far from asleep. The bathwater that should've been clear and clean had colored red, so red that you almost couldn't see her soaked nightgown. Antoinette's arm was hanging over the edge of the bathtub, the wrist decorated with numerous bloody, deep cuts. A shaving blade, whereof the steel was covered in blood, was lying on the floor, further decorating it with the woman's blood. She must've slashed both of her wrists until her veins ran completely dry, Damien realized.

'M-M-Mother...?' Madeline whimpered, her voice trembling. Oh no... this image would never leave her mind again; the butler was so sorry that she had to see this. Upon seeing all the spilled blood, the young woman's eyes widened in horror as tears filled the corners. 'Mother... oh no, oh God, Mother!' Madeline broke into tears, crying hysterically at the sudden death of her pathetic excuse of her mother. She buried her face against Damien chest in an attempt to find solace, which she succeeded in. Damien gently rubbed her on her back while she continued to cry. He himself could hardly believe it as well. Good God, that woman had actually taken her own miserable life...

A contemptuous scoff made the butler look up.

There was not a single bit of emotion in Frederick's eyes when he stared at the dead body of his wife. It was like her death didn't do anything to make him show something that came close to mourning or empathy. This even almost upset Damien; how thick was the ice that incased this man's heart? Or did he even have a heart at all? Without saying a single word and not even bothering to comfort his saddened daughter, Frederick turned around and walked away, leaving Damien to ease the emotional pain of Madeline.


	16. Art Through Sadness

**Chapter 16**

 **Art Through Sadness**

The weather that day wasn't fitting for a funeral at all; not even God couldn't give a damn about the untimely death of Antoinette Lancaster.

The loud, monotone chiming of the church bells broke the silence that morning, announcing the event that was taking place. Nobody who lived in the area around the church was going to have a peaceful morning of sleep, that was for sure. The inside of the church was absolutely gorgeous, if you had to ask Damien; the sunshine that was shining through the colored stained glass created an incredible choreography of several colors, staining the surroundings inside the church. He and Madeline should get married in a beautiful place like this, Damien thought. But right now it wasn't the right time to think about something cheerful like a wedding between an angel and her loyal butler.

As beautiful as the church was, today was not the day to admire it. Damien and Madeline, the only two people who bothered to attend the funeral, stood at the altar and stared at the open coffin. Lying on the white velvet, Antoinette had been laid down on her eternal bed. She looked so peaceful now in comparison with the way she was found a few days ago, soaked in bloody bathwater and her dirty brown hair floating in the red water like rotten seaweed. Antoinette was dressed in a white dress that Damien had never seen her wearing (her wedding dress, perhaps?), her hair was neatly brushed, the cuts on her wrists were covered with the long sleeves of the dress and you would almost think that she was in fact sleeping. But unfortunately, that was not true.

Madeline was forced to go through her life without her mother... or at least, the woman who was supposed to be her mother.

Looking over his shoulder, Damien stared at the empty oaken pews behind them. A gentle shiver ran over his spine as a realization struck him; they were the only ones who were polite enough to attend Antoinette's funeral. This woman didn't mean anything to anyone, not even to the people she had been talking with on Madeline's birthday party. Of course invites were send, but nobody had the time or care to visit the alcoholic cow's one last time before she was put into the ground. This just showed how miserable Antoinette's life was. She lead a lonely life, so now she had a lonely death.

Both Damien and Madeline were dressed in black clothing. Softly sobbing, Madeline stared at the dead body of her mother. An angel like her, with tears flowing down her cheeks and clad in a black dress with white frills... Damien never thought he would ever see something that saddening; the sight struck his heart even more than the death of the worthless wife of his employer.

'Where is Father?' Madeline suddenly asked, breaking the silence in the church. (That is if the chiming of the bells didn't count as a sound) 'Is he going to show up anytime soon?'

As hurtful as it might sound to her, Damien decided to tell her the truth anyway. 'I'm terribly sorry to tell you this Madeline, but... your father couldn't make it. He had a lot of work to do, he told me this morning.' That was the cold answer the butler had received from his employer before they left the mansion to go to the funeral. Still dressed in his sleeping wear, Frederick mumbled that he didn't have any time to see his dead wife for one last time before he went up the stairs, heading towards his bedroom. Not even the suicide of his own wife couldn't do anything to move him, that heartless old buzzard.

'Oh, I can imagine what kind of work he has to attend to.' Madeline mumbled bitterly. In her head, she could already imagine what her father was actually doing in his office; pounding in and out of Nikki. The thought made her clench her fists, but she luckily managed to control her anger. From this day on, Madeline would hate her father even more.

After Damien and Madeline had their last chance to see Antoinette, the coffin was closed and the funeral was continued outside, at the church's cemetery. At this place, Death proved itself to be the ultimate equalizer; no matter if you were rich or poor, young or old, happy or miserable, at a cemetery everyone would be laid to rest as one. They watched as Antoinette's coffin was lowered inside the grave that had been dug for her. As the coffin sank deeper and deeper into the ground, Madeline uttered one more loud sob and buried her face against her butler/lover's arm, staining his sleeve with her tears. She needed him so much now, he could feel it in his bones.

'I can't believe it...' Madeline sobbed as the undertakers started to fill her mother's grave with earth. 'I know she has never actually been a real mother to me, but... dear God Damien, I can't believe she's dead... I never thought she would do something like this, not in a million years...'

It was true, Damien too had never thought Antoinette would be capable of taking her own life. It was so sudden, even he hadn't seen it coming. Nothing about her behavior that day said anything about her true intentions. She didn't even leave a note, as if she had done this in a whim. Did she finally realize how miserable her life actually was when she was lying in her bed and was she so ashamed by her ignorance and denial that she felt like the only way to end all this was by slitting her wrists in the bathtub? Damien would never know what was truly going on inside that woman's head; she had taken her reason with her into her grave.

'It's indeed a tragedy, dear Madeline...' the butler said with a soft voice. 'But remember that you are not alone in this.'

'I know... I appreciate it that you came with me, it gives me a lot of comfort. Or else I would've been attending this funeral all by myself...'

No daughter should ever be the only guest on her mother's funeral... Damien mentally cursed Frederick for doing this to her, but at the same time, he was sort of glad that he didn't come along. That old buzzard would've made things only worse for his beloved angel. Together they watched until the grave was completely filled up with earth and after that, they stared at the grave for a little while longer so Madeline would have some more time to mourn. Then the butler gave Madeline a soft pinch through her sleeve, gesturing to her that it was time to go back to the carriage.

She had seen enough sadness for today.

* * *

Not even the soothing landscape that passed them by on their way home did anything to ease Madeline's inner pain. She barely spoke a word during the trip, resting her head against Damien's shoulder and still softly sobbing. The only thing that did do something to make her feel a bit better were his fingers running through her hair and the soft, gentle kisses he planted on her forehead. Here in this carriage, with the coachman forced to focus on the road in front of him, they were safe to express their care and love for each other, but right now Madeline felt too sad to steal a passionate kiss from her beloved butler. She needed him more than ever at this moment.

Damien... God, he was just a gift from Heaven to her. She was so lonely before he set foot in the mansion and ever since then, her life had become so much better. This man had given her the love and attention she had missing for so many years, he meant the world to her. Having him here with her in this carriage was a huge comfort to her, it made her feel less lonely. The pain of losing her mother was huge, but Damien's company eased it a bit.

She just loved him so much...

Madeline let out a shivering, sad sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. Damien was so honored and glad to be able to be there for her. He would always be there for her, no matter what. All he wanted was to make a difference in her life, to be the person to give her what she needed. Madeline was his angel and she always would be. The butler wished for this carriage ride to last for an eternity, so he could comfort her forever, running his fingers through the hair he loved to touch and kiss the face he saw in his dreams.

But unfortunately it didn't last long before the carriage arrived at the Lancaster mansion. When Madeline got out, Damien saw her quickly wiping away the remaining tears on her cheeks before she turned around to face him. Her eyes were still glistening, but he assumed that she had now cried out most of her tears.

'Would you like to come to my bedroom with me? I have something that I want to show you.' she said.

Damien nodded. 'Well of course.' he replied while getting out of the carriage. There was no way he would ever refuse an invitation to her little kingdom.

The wooden doors of the mansion opened and Nikki stood in the doorway. 'Lady Madeline! Welcome back home.' she greeted.

Madeline gave her a nod, but didn't say a word back to her, walking past her without even looking at the maid. No, she despised her too much for doing so. She could exactly guess what her father had been doing with the maid, on the day of his wife's funeral. Nikki had happily played her role as his loyal concubine... she would never forgive her for this. Damien was right behind, briefly greeting Nikki back before he followed his angels up the stairs. What was she going to show him? He remembered making love to her in her bedroom at some times during these past days, but he highly doubted that this was the reason for her to invite him to her bedroom. The butler didn't see the warm twinkle in her eyes and her lips hadn't curled into that seductive smile he usually saw when she desired him. No, this was something entirely different... What secrets do you have to reveal for me, my dear angel? For a split second, Damien's imagination went wild again, almost convincing him that once they were inside her little kingdom, she would reveal her true identity to him; the page of Elizabeth, the queen of all angels in this rotten world.

On the second floor, Damien followed Madeline to her bedroom. She quickly looked over her shoulder, making sure her neglectful father or the lustful maid wouldn't see them together. Then she carefully opened the door, allowing her butler to step inside. Once they were both inside, she closed the door behind her. The sight just wasn't right in Damien's opinion; the two colors in her bedroom that stood out the most were light yellow and white, Madeline's black dress just didn't fit in there. It reminded the butler of a witch entering an enchanted forest. The portrait that he had given her was put in a corner since she hadn't found the time to put it on a wall.

'You can sit down on the bed if you want to.' she said to Damien while she walked towards her bed. Then she kneeled down on all fours and lifted the sheets, reaching for something underneath the bed. Damien couldn't help but stare at his angel for a little moment, looking at those soft legs he had kissed on that one passionate night; he hoped she would forever feel the touch of his lips on her skin for as long as she would live.

'Ah, there it is!' Madeline suddenly exclaimed in victory, grabbing what she had found and getting back up on her feet. In her hands, she was holding a book that possibly contained more than a hundred pages, decorated with a slightly damaged leather cover.

'Is that what you wanted to show me?' Damien asked.

Madeline nodded, a small smile spreading on her face. The butler's heart almost made a little jump in joy; that was the first time his angel had smiled today. 'This is a collection of poems I have written.' she said. 'My father thinks writing poetry is a waste of time, if he'd find out I'm still writing it to this day, he would be absolutely furious. That's why I keep it hidden. But after everything that has happened, I feel like I can share this with you. Please, sit down on the bed.'

They sat down together on the edge of the bed, the mattress slightly denting when they did so. Madeline opened the book and started turning the pages one by one. Damien saw words flying by about beauty, the roses in the garden, sunshine, red wine, angry words, tears, birds and hope. 'You see... I can only write poems when I'm saddened by something. Only then it can give me inspiration to write.' his angel said, still searching for the poem she wanted to show him. A chill ran up Damien's spine. That book must contain more than a hundred pages... so she must've been sad more than a hundred times. Oh Madeline, my dear darling of an angel, you must've suffered so much! 'My dream is to become a famous poetess one day. It's what I've always wanted, ever since I was a little girl. People all around the world, reading my work... that would be so amazing. Father wants me to become a refined lady who does whatever her husband tells her to do, but who does that hypocrite think he is? He can't control me, not now, not ever. When he found out one day that I had been writing poetry, he threw my book against a wall, that disgusting scoundrel. But that doesn't matter now. The reason what I wanted to show you is... this!'

Madeline had finally found the poem what she had been looking for. She looked at Damien, her eyes now more lively and happier than they were this morning. A blush colored her cheeks in a soft shade of red. 'I wrote this poem for you. Do you want to hear it?'

Damien nodded, smiling back. 'I'd love to hear it.'

'Very well. Here it goes.' Madeline cleared her throat before she began narrating the words she had written for her one and true love.

' _An existence cold and grey, loveless words as sharp as a knife,_

 _that was until the day you, Damien, arrived in my life_

 _Raven black hair and a pair of warm brown eyes,_

 _a mouth that speaks only loving words, no lies_

 _His love makes me feel alive, his touch reaches deep into my soul,_

 _I might still be young, but I already know it all_

 _It is you who I want to be with, it is you who I want to give my heart_

 _my dear Damien, you have turned love into an art_

 _Never have I learned what true love is, until you showed it to me that night_

 _my life which was once so lonely, is now so bright_

 _Please, remember that I won't hate you, ever_

 _Damien, I will love you forever._ '

These words, these beautiful words that she had dedicated to him, made Damien's heart feel like it was melting after it had been burned so many times. His angel had found the inspiration to write this poem for him, no woman had ever done something more heartfelt like this for him. He was going to treasure this moment for the rest of his life, he was more than convinced about that. This right here was a sign of true love... realizing that made him smile from ear to ear.

'That was absolutely beautiful, Madeline.' the butler said. 'Thank you so much for writing this true piece of art for me. If you keep writing like this, I can tell you that you're going to be the most famous poetess in the history of the world.'

Madeline softly chuckled. 'I'm happy that you like it. You... you really are the love of my life, Damien.' Then she leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Closing his eyes, the butler didn't hesitate to give into the kiss, letting out a soft hum. He was more than glad that she wasn't feeling the sadness that had been tormenting her this whole morning anymore.

While the two lovers were both caught in the wonderful trance of the kiss, Nikki had joined Frederick in his office, sitting on his lap and enjoying his hand touching her legs, searching for her underwear, while the man himself mumbled about how worthless Antoinette was in life.


	17. Distaste

**Chapter 17**

 **Distaste**

Unfortunately, Damien had assumed wrong when he thought that Madeline had cried out her last tears on the day of her mother's funeral.

The following days after Antoinette was put into the ground, it seemed like his angel was still mourning for her. The butler could see a sad look lingering in her eyes, when she tried to smile at him it didn't look convincing at all; her mind was still at that one horrifying night when she laid eyes on the mutilated wrists of her late mother. Of course Damien tried nothing more but his best to cheer Madeline up, reminding her that she had her loyal butler on her side. During those days he had brought her a fresh breakfast while she was still in bed, strolled with her through the garden after her private lessons were over, read her favorite books with her and naturally, he kept her company after she had her dinner.

Damien managed to make her often smile on those moments, but despite that, Madeline would sometimes visit him at night when the butler was about to fall asleep, with tears staining her cheeks and claiming that she couldn't sleep. The sight of his eighteen-year old lover, standing five and a half foot tall in the doorway, clad in her soft pink nightgown and softly sniffling would make Damien's heart cringe at any time. On times like these, he welcomed her into his bed, an offer which she would always accept. She needed him... and he needed her. As soon as she would lie next to him, Madeline would bury her face against his collarbone and press her body against his, making him put his arm around her and hold her close. Damien would comfort her with gentle kisses to her face and careful touches on her hair, if he had to be honest, he could never get enough of doing that; there was even a split second where he wished that Madeline would stay mournful forever so that he could do this to her for the rest of her life, but that thought quickly repulsed him. So self-centered, he shouldn't think like that. He wanted Madeline to be happy again as soon as possible, it broke his heart to see her like this. After he ran his fingers through her hair a couple of times, gave her the kisses she loved and spoke the soothing words she needed to hear, his angel had calmed down, even managing to smile at him again. The two lovers stayed in bed together for a little while longer until Damien told Madeline to go back to her bedroom. Every time when she was about to exit the bedroom, she would always look over her shoulder and smile at him. 'Thank you so much, Damien. Goodnight. I love you.'

But finally, after five long days of comforting and catching tears, Madeline seemed to be herself again. Her smiles were more sincere, she even chuckled sometimes after Damien told her something amusing about his London days. The death of Antoinette didn't do anything to affect Frederick, on the other hand. He continued with his daily life without mentioning his wife once, spending most of his time doing paperwork in his office, ordering Damien and Nikki around and of course, showing more interest in Nikki than he should. Antoinette was dead to him, literally and figuratively. In fact, Madeline dared to confess to Damien that she had the suspicions that her father was actually glad that his wife had died; now he was completely free to continue his affair with Nikki. She even told Damien that she could swear to God that she heard Frederick offering some jewelry that belonged to Antoinette to Nikki, that shameless scoundrel.

But nonetheless, Madeline was finally acting like herself again, which made Damien so glad. Imagine how it would've been if he had made the choice to never work for the Lancasters... his poor angel would be miserable for the rest of her life. But he would never allow her to feel miserable or alone again, not now, nor ever.

As long as Damien would be around, he would treat her like she deserved to be treated.

* * *

It was quiet in the dining room that night, if the occasional sounds of the cutlery scraping against the plates didn't count as sounds.

For the sixth time since Antoinette's unexpected death, Frederick and Madeline dined together at the dinner table, under the watchful eye of Damien, whose employer barely acknowledged him. Not one of them spoke a word to each other until now; apparently Frederick decided to attempt for one time in his life to give his daughter some attention.

'So, Madeline... how are your studies coming along?' he asked. 'I haven't heard anything from that in a while.'

It was like the young girl hadn't heard a single word her father had spoken, eating her dinner like nothing was happening. Damien knew exactly why Madeline wasn't talking back to him; not bothering to show up on her mother's funeral and shamelessly continuing his affair with Nikki was what made her permanently resent him. Not even looking up to look at her father, Madeline continued eating.

'Young lady, I would appreciate it if you'd say something back.' Frederick mumbled, not pleased at all by this level of disrespect. 'I am your father, I want you to listen to me when I speak. Where are your manners? You are the legitimate heir of the Lancaster family, I expect from you to behave like a proper lady!'

Then Madeline looked up, glaring at her father. Cold was the only word Damien could think of to describe the look in her eyes; who knew angel could produce such a cold glare. 'I'm sorry Father, but right now I'd rather not speak with you.' she calmly replied before continuing to eat her dinner.

The butler saw the knuckles of Frederick's hand coloring white as he clenched his fork as hard as he could, trying to control his rage as hard as he could. He was convinced that he would jump up at any moment and rush towards Madeline to let his wrath rain down on her, Damien wouldn't hesitate to stop him if he dared to hurt her. But it didn't happen, though; Frederick loudly exhaled through his nose and the blood flowed back to his knuckles.

'Very well then.' he mumbled, a hint of anger still lingering in his voice. 'Damien, can I ask you a favor?'

'Yes, Master Frederick.' the butler replied.

'I want you to visit the cemetery with Nikki tomorrow morning to look after Antoinette's grave. See if it needs some cleaning, don't forget to water the flowers as well.'

Upon hearing those words, Madeline widened her eyes in surprise, nearly choking on a piece of cooked fish. 'W-what?!' she exclaimed.

Frederick cocked his eyebrow when he heard the surprising amount of shock in his daughter's voice. 'Is there something bothering you, Madeline?' he asked.

Realizing that she was in great risk of exposing the true relationship between her and her beloved butler, Madeline submissively glanced down at her plate and slowly shook her head. 'No, Father.' she mumbled.

'Ah, good. For a moment I thought you would dare to disrespect me again. It's a wise choice of you to not defy your own father for once.' Then Frederick's attention shifted back to Damien. 'Do you understand what you have to do, Damien?'

'Yes, Master Frederick.'

'Perfect. Now go to the kitchen and bring me a bottle of wine. I suppose it would be a waste if anyone wouldn't drink it now that Antoinette is not around anymore...'

As you wish, you heartless buzzard.

* * *

With the watering can filled with water resting on his lap, Damien sat in the carriage, hoping from the bottom of the heart that they would arrive at the cemetery soon enough. Not that he was looking forward to watering the flowers that graciously decorated the grave of that alcoholic failure of a mother, oh no, that was not the case at all. The butler just wanted to go back to the mansion to be reunited with his angel again, so he wanted to get this over with as quick as possible. Thank God this wouldn't last too long; if he would have to spend an entire day with Nikki, it would be beyond torturous.

The maid, who was sitting across the butler, didn't seem to have a problem with working with him at all, judging by the look on her face. She looked relaxed, nearly happen even. Damien had spend most of the time during this trip with staring out of the window and wishing they could go back to the mansion as soon as possible, but from the corner of his eye he noticed Nikki often glancing at him. What was going inside that woman's mind?

Damien could still clearly remember the look on Madeline's face when they left the mansion that morning. Standing in the doorway of the front door, his angel had watched them until the carriage disappeared out of her sight; her face expressed something that came close to fright. The butler wondered what made her so afraid? She nearly choked on her food last night when she heard Frederick ordering him to go with Nikki, that news obviously upset her in some way. As much as Damien loved Madeline, he thought the fact that she openly expressed her shock was foolish. She could've exposed their relationship, the impulsive angel. Hopefully Frederick hadn't grown more suspicious about this little incident.

'What are you thinking about, Damien?' Nikki suddenly asked, causing the butler to look up.

'I'm thinking about getting away from you as soon as possible.' would've been the correct answer, but Damien decided to keep that thought to himself. 'I'm just wondering...' he said. 'Will Antoinette's grave still be in good shape when we arrive?' A plain reply, but at least it was something.

'Oh, it definitely will be fine.' Nikki said. 'I think that woman has the most expensive grave on the whole cemetery!'

'Lady Madeline had been quite upset about Antoinette's death for a while... I have to say, it was indeed a very unexpected event. You seemed to be upset as well when you found her.'

'True, but that was back then. That was merely the shock. If I have to be honest with you, I'm not sad about it at all. I never felt anything for that woman, she was a drunk and a worthless employer.' Nikki wrinkled her nose in disgust. 'Actually, I'm glad that she's dead. She just ruined the atmosphere in the mansion.'

The carriage came to an abrupt halt, causing the maid to look through the window. 'Ah, here we are. Come on Damien, let's get this over with quickly.'

That wench must've read his thoughts. Together with her, Damien exited the carriage. They had stopped right in front of the old, rusty gates of the cemetery. When Nikki pushed them open, the gates produced an almost agonizing screech, as if they could sense pain. They entered the cemetery, a landscape of tombstones, weed and flowers here and there. Damien couldn't shake off the feeling that the tombstones, some of them new and well-kempt, others old and cracked, were in fact silent witnesses to his secrets, as if the souls of those who were dead knew about his undying love for Madeline. You either had to be an artist or a fool to think like that.

There it was, the grave of Antoinette Lancaster-Dubrois. Nikki was actually right about the thought of her having the most expensive grave on this cemetery; the letters that were carved into the tombstone was made of pure gold, the tombstone itself was chiseled out of pure marble. The flowers that were decorating the grave were, you've guessed it, red roses.

'I believe the roses need some watering, the petals look a bit dry.' Damien said, slightly leaning in to study the roses.

'The tombstone looks clean enough, I think it looks fine.' Nikki mumbled.

So that meant they only had to water the roses; good, so they wouldn't stay here for too long. The butler poured the contents of the watering can over the roses, showering the petals with water; the sight almost reminded him of tears on a red cheek. After a little while, the watering can had been completely emptied.

'There, that should-' But just before he could finish speaking, Damien could feel something clinging onto his arm, followed by a soft chuckle coming from Nikki. Looking to his left, the butler saw the maid embracing his arm, staring at him with a seductive smile on her face.

'You know, Damien...' she spoke, her voice sounding as equally seductive as her smile. 'During these past days I've noticed you would barely talk to me, which is actually quite a shame. Because I'm going to be completely honest here... I think you are a very attractive man. We should get to know each other better. How about we go to New York and have a romantic stroll through the streets? What do-'

'Let me help you out of your dream right there, Nikki.' Damien yanked his arm away from her. 'I'm sorry that I have to tell you this, but I am not attracted to you. Make no mistake, you are a handsome woman, but that's about it. The reason why I barely speak to you is simply because I'm not interested in you. I don't think that will ever change. Pardon me for telling you all of this this, but it's the harsh truth. And unfortunately Nikki, you will to have to live with it.'

There was no way in hell Damien was ever going to betray his beautiful angel with this lecherous maid, he would never forgive himself if he did so. His heart belonged to Madeline and Madeline only. There was nothing angelic about Nikki at all, he could never fall in love with her. No, he would never be attracted to her.

The seductive smile disappeared from the maid's face like snow in the first ray of sunlight on a spring morning, making place for a thin, horizontal line. A glare lingered in her eyes. Then Nikki let out an indignant scoff and turned around, heading back to the carriage. Her attraction (or lust, maybe both) for the butler may very well be gone, but Damien was honestly glad about that.

Madeline would be the only woman he would ever love.


	18. My One And Only

**Chapter 18**

 **My One And Only**

This had to be without a doubt the most awkward carriage ride Damien had ever experienced in his whole life.

For some reason, he know understood how all of ex-lovers back in London must've felt like when they departed from his house, with contempt and heartbreak being part of their luggage. Not for one moment did Nikki stop glaring at him, obviously mad at him for rejecting her. How long had the maid been concealing these feelings (or this lust) for him? But as awkward as this situation was, Damien was glad that he had made it perfectly clear that he had no interest in her whatsoever. If she would resent him forever for this, then so be it; his heart belonged to Madeline, not to her.

Nothing would ever change that.

Not a single word was spoken during the whole trip, since the both of them didn't bother to break the silence. During this time, Damien tried to figure out what had been going in Nikki's mind all this time. Why would she try to seduce him while she was having an affair with Frederick? Not once during his entire stay did she show interest in the butler, their relationship, up until now, had been the usual relationship you'd expect from a butler and a maid. It was purely professional, nothing else. Not for one moment did Damien consider Nikki to be more attractive than his _ange bien-aimée_. The face of the maid didn't keep him awake at all at night. Nothing about Nikki did he consider beautiful, attractive or innocent; in fact, knowing that she didn't back down from having a lust-based affair with her employer made him repulse her. Nikki must've been an angel as well in her past, just like Madeline, but now it was perfectly clear that she had thrown all of her angelic traits out of the window by a long time.

Then it suddenly struck the butler. He felt like such a fool for not realizing it earlier. She attempted to seduce him because she was getting tired of her affair with Frederick, that had to be the reason, he was convinced about that. Perhaps getting a hold on Antoinette's jewelry and receiving the lecherous attention of her employer weren't good enough for her, so Nikki decided to have a go with the butler to satisfy her needs. Damien almost wanted to shake his head in disgust, but he managed to control himself. From this moment on, Nikki definitely wasn't going to be worth is time. All he wanted right now was to go back to the mansion and be reunited with his angel; this shameless slut of a maid had to go find some other fool to have another affair with.

Thank God the trip back to the Lancaster mansion didn't last too long. Staring at the end of the drive, Damien hoped from the bottom of his heart that Madeline would be waiting for him behind the door, pulling him in for an embrace as soon as Nikki and Frederick would be out of their sights and most likely capturing his lips in another loving kiss. Oh yes, he was definitely looking forward to all of this... The carriage stopped in front of the small flight of stairs that lead to the front door. Without saying a single word to the man who rejected her advances, Nikki got out first, not even considering a glance at him would be worthy enough for him. Damien wasn't fazed by this at all, though; the contempt was mutual.

The butler expected the door to swing open and be greeted by a happy Madeline at any moment, but the wooden door stayed shut, causing him to slightly frown. That was strange... perhaps she was still studying or she was already having her lunch, which would make sense since the morning was about to reach its end. But Frederick would always order Damien and Nikki to prepare their lunches... Or maybe she was playing her violin, maybe she just didn't hear them arriving. But when the door suddenly opened, the butler's heart, which had been scorched so many times during these past days, made a little jump in joy; but it quickly fell flat on its behind when he saw Frederick standing in the doorway.

'Ah, Damien, Nikki. Good to see you're back. Was the grave of Antoinette still in a proper state?'

The maid nodded. 'Yes, Master Frederick. We took care of it.' Her voice was almost emotionless, as if she was trying to hide the anger of being rejected.

'Good, very good. Come inside you two, lunch has to be prepared. You don't have to make anything for Madeline, she won't be here this afternoon.'

'What? May I ask why, Master Frederick?' Damien asked; he could feel his poor heart skipping a beat.

'I have send her to Ronald Miller to spend some time with him and his family for this afternoon.' the perverted gentleman replied. 'I believe it's important for her to know her future husband a bit better. After all, she didn't quite make the impression I expected her to make back on her birthday party. Mister and Missis Miller shall see that I have raised a proper young woman who will be a perfect wife for their son.'

Wait, Ronald Miller... wasn't that the name of that hideous boy he had introduced Madeline to? Damien would rarely feel this in his life, but he was on the verge of strangling this heartless excuse of a father on this very spot, but miraculously he yet again managed to control himself. Madeline would've protested against the unwanted visit for sure, he knew how much she abhorred her father and his will to control her. The thought of Ronald, who was about as attractive as the behind of a cow, putting his fat hand on his angel's soft shoulder made him want to vomit; he swore to Elizabeth's grave that he would cut off that ugly troll's hand if with a cleaver he dared to touch her.

'And... when will she return?' the butler asked.

'I believe she will come home tonight, she won't have dinner with us as well. Now don't dawdle, Damien, I want my lunch. Go to the kitchen at once, Nikki will join you soon enough.'

The butler gave his employer a brief nod before he entered the mansion, walking through the main hall and heading to the kitchen. Fine, if that old buzzard wanted his lunch, then he would make it; he gladly hoped he would choke in it and die an agonizing death. But then again, if he would die, who would pay him his salary?

'You and I have to talk for a moment, Nikki.' the butler heard Frederick saying before he could step into the kitchen. Frowning in curiousness, he couldn't help but wonder what he wanted to talk about. Did Frederick find out about Nikki's true thoughts about their affair? Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, Damien decided to take a listen. Judging from the look on Nikki's face, she was trying to keep calm as much as possible.

'I must say that letting you go with Damien was a big mistake of mine, Nikki.' Frederick spoke. 'I shouldn't have allowed you that. Because I swear to God Nikki, if I will ever find out you have been fraternizing or anything with him behind my back... you know what the punishment will be, am I correct?'

The maid glanced at the floor and nodded. 'Yes, Master Frederick. Then I won't be paid for three months, like you said.' she answered with a soft voice.

'Exactly. Remember that I will be the only man in this mansion you will please. Not anyone else, just me. Do you understand that?'

'Yes.'

'Yes what?'

'Yes, Master Frederick.'

'Very well. Now go join Damien in the kitchen.'

Shaking his head in contempt, the butler entered the kitchen. So this affair wasn't only based on pure lust after all...

* * *

'You know, Damien... I never thought I ever wanted to go home so badly when I was in the Miller mansion. What a despicable place that was... I hope it will burn down to the ground one day, with Ronald and his parents along with it.'

'Now now, Madeline. Don't you think that's a bit of a malicious thought?'

'But it's true, I really hope it will happen.'

The butler let out a chuckle. 'I don't think thoughts like that don't fit you at all, my darling.'

It almost felt like an eternity to Damien when he waited for his angel to come home, God, it was such a torture to be without her for a whole day. It just proved how much Madeline meant for him, he couldn't go through a single day without feeling the strong urge to hold her in his arms again. If you was forced to spend another agonizing day without his peachy darling on his side, the butler would go mad, he could feel it in his bones. He could already imagine it all; he would lie on the wooden floor of his bedroom, screaming at the top of his lungs until he would lose his voice and tears flowing down his cheeks. But thankfully that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Oh, how his heart sang in joy when he glanced at the drive through the window while he was washing the dishes after dinner and saw a carriage arriving at the doorstep. His angel had arrived safe and sound, but dear oh dear did she hate her father even more now. When Frederick greeted his daughter, she refused to greet him back, giving him only that same cold glare she had given him during dinner last night.

Once they heard the door of the old buzzard's office slamming shut, Madeline immediately wrapped her arms around the butler's waist, pulling him in for the hug he had been longing for this whole day. The two lovers were happily reunited. Sitting on the edge of Madeline's bed, the angel told Damien all about her day at the Miller's mansion.

'Oh, that Ronald, what a horrible boy he was.' Madeline said, shaking her head. 'He was so rude to his butler, that poor man. He wouldn't shut up about the oh so wonderful architecture his father had designed. His parents were bickering all day long, God knows about what. And the maid who worked there couldn't cook at all, your cooking is way better than hers.'

'Why thank you. You deserve one extra crepe for breakfast tomorrow morning.'

Madeline softly giggled. Letting out a soft hum, she rested her head against Damien's shoulder. 'I have been thinking about you from the moment I arrived there.' she said. 'I haven't thought about anything else than being with you again.'

'Me too, my love.' the butler replied, kissing her on the forehead. Just then, he saw the small smile that had been on Madeline's face from the moment she had hugged him had disappeared; her face had something saddening.

'Is there something wrong?' Damien asked.

Madeline let out a soft sigh. 'I... I was so afraid when Father told you to go with Nikki to Mother's grave last night...' she spoke. 'Because... I know Nikki is prettier and older than me. I was afraid that if you would spend any time with her, you would... you would...'

'Leave you for her?'

The young woman nodded. 'Yes, exactly.'

'Madeline, have you lost your mind? I would never do that to you, not in a million years! I feel nothing for Nikki, I feel nothing for that wench at all.'

His angel looked up and rapidly blinked her eyes. Damien put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. The brown eyes she loved so much expressed nothing more but seriousness about what he was going to say. 'I have been waiting an eternity for an angel like you to cross my path. Yes, there were many other women out there, but I would never fall for them. All I ever wanted was to love someone like you, Madeline. From the first moment I saw you in the garden on the day I arrived here, I knew I would never fall in love with another woman for as long as I will live. You are the only one for me, my love. No matter what will happen, we shall always remain lovers. I would never leave you for anyone else, because if I would, I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again. My heart belongs to you and you only... and that will never change.'

The corners of Madeline's mouth slowly curled into a smile again; Damien could swear he saw a loving twinkle in her green eyes. 'Really? You... promise that?'

The butler smiled back and nodded. 'Yes. I promise.'

Not willing to control herself any longer, Madeline pressed her lips against Damien's in a burst of happiness, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss was surprisingly gentle despite the fact that it happened so sudden, but Damien was more than willing to give into it. He closed his eyes and pulled her in for an embrace, deepening the kiss. He was never going to break that promise, Madeline would be the only one he would ever love.

Of course it didn't last long before the sweet kiss started to become more sensual when the angel ran the tip of her tongue over the butler's lower lip, causing him to slightly open his mouth and allowing her to dip her tongue inside him. Their tongues almost immediately met, joining each other in a slow dance that quickly increased in speed. The movements of the wet muscles brought the raging passion along with them. Damien had respected Madeline's wish to refrain from sexual intercourse while going through the mourning process for Antoinette, but he couldn't hold back anymore. He gentle pushed his angel on the bed, her back touching the sheets. Their lips briefly parted before he dove right back in again, causing the passion to increase more and more. Soon the butler needed air and he broke the kiss for a second time; when he opened his eyes, he saw a blush had colored Madeline's cheeks in a soft shade of red.

'Damien...' she panted. 'Please...'

Her voice was more than enough for him to almost go raving mad with passion. He was planning on giving her what she needed for this whole day. Damien sat up on his knees and pulled up the skirt of her dress, revealing her undergarments. Knowing what he was going to do next, Madeline bit her lower lip as her heartbeat increased. She watched in lustful anticipation as the butler slowly pulled down her undergarments, tossing it on the ground once he had taken it off. Spreading her legs, Damien laid eyes upon the soft, wet, pink flesh he had been hungry for these past days, licking his lips as he stared at it. He positioned himself between her parted legs and leaned in, glancing at Madeline for one second, their eyes exchanging a loving stare. She could feel his hot breath on her nether lips, causing her to let out a brief, shuddering breath. Damien gave two kisses on the sensitive flesh before he ran his tongue over it, already earning the first soft whimper from his angel. As more licks followed, she began to slightly squirm while more sweet sounds of pleasure escaped her lips.

'Ah... Damien... Damien...' Madeline whispered before letting out a high-pitched gasp, feeling his tongue flicking over that one sensitive spot. It felt so good, so unbelievably good...

Damien continued to use his magic on her, he couldn't get enough of that warm, bitter juice that made all of his senses tingle. He circled the tip of his tongue around the nub of nerves, causing Madeline to emit more moans and cries. It wouldn't last long anymore, just a little bit more.

'I'm... I'm... I'm coming!'

As a barely-audible whimper escaped past her lips, Madeline arched her back and tensed her legs around Damien's head for a moment before sinking down back to Earth, relaxing her body. Damien looked up and licked his lips clean. The sight was absolutely gorgeous; Madeline's eyes were half-lidded, her chest heaving up and down, her cheeks fire red and her arms were reaching out for him.

'Come here...' she whispered. The butler did so. As soon as his face was close to hers, Madeline caught his lips in a kiss once again, not fazed by the taste at all. When his angel broke the kiss, she stared at him with a warm smile on her face.

'I love you, Damien... more than anything else.'

The touch of her soft hand on his cheek made Damien think that he was going to die of happiness at any second.


	19. Another Gruesome Discovery

**Chapter 19**

 **Another Gruesome Discovery**

Damien could hear a soft, innocent chuckle on his right, attempting to pull him out of his sleep. The butler responded with a groan, trying his best to open his eyes, but his eyelids still felt too heavy. He tried so hard, but his sleep refused him to get it out of its grip.

'Wake up, you sleepyhead...' the voice that sounded nothing more but like the finest music to his ears said.

The sleepy butler managed to curl his mouth into a smile. 'I'm... I'm trying to, darling...' he groaned, his voice drenched in sleepiness.

'Then allow me to help you with that.' A string of soft kisses over his entire face followed, causing Damien's smile to grow bigger. This was without a doubt the best way he had ever woken up, this was so gentle, so peaceful, so beautiful... It now became easier for him to open his eyes, the kisses lightened the heaviness of his eyelids. Damien slowly opened his eyes and through his eyelashes he saw the face he loved so much. Madeline supported her head with her hand as she stared at her beloved butler, wiping a lock of black hair that was hanging in front of his face with her fingers. The light of the early morning sun gently illuminated the surroundings in the bedroom, making her look even more beautiful. Even though she had lost her virginity to him many days ago, the sunlight proved that she was still able to look as innocent as she was on the day they first met. Waking up next to this gorgeous angel was everything Damien could wish for. Please God, let this morning last forever, make time permanently freeze, let this world inhabited by lecherous ignoramuses burn to ashes around them so they would be free to be together...

'Good morning...' Madeline spoke. 'Did you sleep well?'

Damien nodded. 'Yes, I slept fine, thank you.'

'Glad to hear that.' The angel softly sighed and nuzzled her cheek against the butler's shoulder, closing her eyes and smiling from ear to ear. 'You can't imagine how happy you have made me Damien...' she said. 'My whole life has become so much different now, I don't want it to ever change. And it's all thanks to you. Please Damien, be my lover for all eternity.'

The butler chuckled and kissed his angel on her forehead. 'You know I will, right?'

And it was true. If Damien Sandow would make a promise to an angel like her, she would be guaranteed that he would keep that promise. He would never lie to her; people who lie are nothing more but low-lives, like his late father said once. Damien had always thought he had adopted this trait from Arthur. Despite the fact that he spend more time on his work than with his own son and that he wanted him to marry an earthly woman he didn't love, he was a very respectable man in life. Never did Damien hear him speak a lie, not to his governess, not to his guests, not once. The trait of honesty was a rare trait these days.

But Madeline was bound to grow older...

The butler knew that and he had thought about it. Of course there would be one day where his angel would be forced to shed her wings and retain her mortal form until she would pass away. Damien hated to see this happen, but it was inevitable. But was he going to abandon her because of this. The answer is a definite no. He could clearly remember a memory from fourteen years ago, when he was blessed with the honor to fall in love with Elizabeth Bettencourt. One warm day, while they were enjoying a cup of tea in the backyard and talking about the wonders of photography, a thought entered the young man's head that he would remember to this day; he was going to love this girl, no matter how old she would become. Unfortunately all of that was cut short on the nightmarish day were Elizabeth was ripped out of his life, but now that her page had offered him solace, he was going to pass on that thought to her. Even without angel wings, he was going to love Madeline. He had a feeling that Elizabeth somehow lived on through his current lover, she looked so much like her.

No, he was not ever going to break his promise.

The two lovers didn't say anything for a while, but words weren't needed to show the love they had for each other. They gently stroked each other's hair while sharing soft kisses, oh dear God, how heavenly this moment was. It felt like all time had stood still in this bedroom and they both very pleased by that. But unfortunately, Damien soon came to realize that it was almost time to make breakfast for his peach and her poor excuse of a father.

'I'm terribly sorry Madeline, but as much as I'd love to stay here with you, I have to go make breakfast.' he said. 'I have to leave, but you can stay in bed if you'd wish to.'

'That is fine with me.' Madeline said as she lazily watched her secret lover getting out of her bed and searching for his discarded clothes. 'I don't want you to get into trouble with Father, so perhaps it's for the best.'

'Don't you worry about me, your father won't find any trouble with me.' the butler calmly replied while putting on his clothes.

'But that's one of the things about a relationship, no? You're supposed to be worried about each other.'

'A very good point, my dear.' Finished with dressing himself up, Damien leaned over and quickly kissed his French-American flower on her cheek. 'I will see you soon, have some more rest.'

'Thank you, I will.'

As soon as Damien had left her bedroom after making sure nobody would see him, the young woman stared at the ceiling for a while with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

The weather this morning looked like the perfect weather to tutor an angelic sweetheart like Madeline Lancaster in a backyard with nothing more but pure red roses, like it was on all the other mornings. It surprised Damien how bearable the temperature had been lately, despite the fact that it was still summer; Mother Nature has been surprisingly very kind to the ones who had ruined her lush kingdom.

Secret lover or not, Damien still had the opinion that his angel needed the proper education she needed. As soon as her lessons were over, he would revert back to his role as the man of her dreams and continue to shower her with nothing more but the love she deserved. Sitting at the table, the butler/tutor/lover in disguise taught Madeline all about the infamous rebellion of the farmers in Hungary against a cruel ruler when a loud rumble rolling across the sky rudely interrupted him. They both looked up and saw that the sky that had once been blue had turned dark grey. The first raindrops fell down, landing on the pages of the study book, the petals of the roses and Madeline's bare arms; it took less than ten seconds before the rain mercilessly fell down on them. Quickly grabbing the study books, Damien stood up and along with Madeline, who laughed playfully, they ran to the back door to get back inside the mansion. When they got inside, Damien couldn't help but snigger at the sight of his angel, her dress soaking wet and raindrops running down her hair.

'Look at you, you're soaking wet. Hurry up and put on some dry clothes before you'll get a cold. We will continue the lessons in the living room.'

'Very well. I'll be quick!' Madeline answered before rushing up the stairs. Shortly after the butler could hear her bedroom's door slamming shut. He softly chuckled; even when the rain soaked her, she still managed to look so sweet and innocent.

Suddenly, the door of the family's private library opened and Frederick appeared, immediately spotting Damien. 'Hello there, Damien.' he said. 'I see you have been outside.'

The butler nodded. 'Yes, it appears the weather is quite treacherous today.'

'Hmm. Say, have you seen Nikki around? I haven't seen her all morning...'

'No Master Frederick, I'm afraid not. I unfortunately didn't see her either.'

'I see... I suppose she's still lying in her bed. But if that woman wishes for her salary to be cut, I can suggest her to stay there.' Frederick mumbled in annoyance. 'Where is Madeline?'

'She went to her bedroom to change her clothes, the rain completely soaked her.'

'Ah, very well. I hope she's not bothering you, because if she does, you have my blessing to punish her.'

'Oh no, she doesn't need any punishment at all. You truly are blessed with a brilliant daughter, Master Frederick.'

Upon hearing the compliment, his employer chuckled in pride. 'Well of course she's brilliant, my dear man. She's a Lancaster, if she wouldn't be a daughter of mine she would be a complete failure.'

Look who's talking, you heartless excuse of a family man.

After Madeline came downstairs wearing a dry dress, Frederick went upstairs to attend to his paperwork; of course she didn't say anything to him when she saw him. The two secret lovers continued the lessons in the living room; of course his French-American flower allowed herself to take those warm feelings she had for her butler to take the best of her and kiss him on his cheek when they were finished. Now that the lessons were over, Damien had to fulfill his duty as the family's butler and do his work, causing Madeline to protrude her soft lower lip in a pout. But after he promised her he would visit her after his chores were done, she smiled at him and went to her bedroom to play her violin.

While Damien dusted off the antique furniture in the main hall after scrubbing the floor of the kitchen, he suddenly remembered the conversation he and Frederick had. It was true, he hadn't seen Nikki all morning. Normally he would meet her in the kitchen in the morning, where they would prepare breakfast for the family together.

But why did he have to do that alone this morning?

The butler hadn't thought too much of it at first, assuming that she had overslept. Not that he minded it, though. It actually felt kind of peaceful making the breakfast all by himself, he didn't need the help of some maid who wasn't afraid of having multiple affairs at the same time. If she wanted to get paid less for her own actions, that was her problem, not his. After what had happened at the graveyard yesterday, he didn't feel a thing for her. Besides, he could manage to do all the chores on his own, he didn't mind it. After all, he had done all of his own chores by himself for many years when he lived in London. Oh London... how he missed the chiming of the Big Ben in the morning and walking those timeless streets of cobblestone. Damien tried to dismiss the thought of Nikki and continued with his chores.

But as the day went on, he started to get more and more suspicious about this whole thing. Frederick and Madeline just had their afternoon lunch and there was still no sign of Nikki. Nobody could possibly be sleeping by this time, this was getting ridiculous. What the hell was she doing in her bedroom? Then, while cleaning the dishes in the kitchen, a logical thought went through the butler's mind. She was ill, that had to be the only logical explanation he could give for this. Perhaps she was feeling too sick to report this to their employer and was still lying in bed with whatever was making her feel like this.

Damien had to know whether this assumption was true. He promised himself to go look at her after he was done with the dishes. If his assumption was indeed true, he would tell this to Frederick and continue with his chores, accepting that he was on his own today. Well, that was not exactly true... because he knew his darling angel was around him. Sweet Madeline, beautiful Madeline...

The butler dried off the last dish and put it in the cabinet with the other plates. He dried his hands and tossed the kitchen towel in the corner of the wooden countertop, then exited the kitchen. He headed towards the stairs and already imagined Nikki lying in her bed, coughing uncontrollably and her sun-kissed skin showing off a sickly pale shade. That had to be it, it was the only way he could-

A high-pitched, nearly ear-piercing scream made the Lancaster look like it was haunted by the tormented ghosts of Antoinette and William. Damien blood felt like it had frozen for a moment as his eyes widened in horror. There could be only one person who could possible scream like this... Madeline! His heart had never beaten this fast when he rushed up the stairs, hundreds of horrifying thoughts running through his mind at once. Madeline receiving a beating of her father who had found out about their relationship, Madeline being attacked by an intruder with a knife, Madeline lying on the bathroom floor with a cracked skull, dear God in Heaven, let his angel be unharmed! A trickle of cold sweat ran down the butler's temple as he reached the second floor. Looking to his right, he saw Madeline lying in the doorway of Nikki's bedroom, staring with wide eyes at something in there and seemingly unharmed, thankfully. But that didn't take away the fact that she had seen something truly terrifying, judging by the paleness of her skin and her soft whimpering.

'Madeline!' Damien exclaimed, kneeling down next to her. 'What's the matter? What happened?!'

Still whimpering and unable to say a coherent word, Madeline pointed at the bedroom.

Damien's jaw dropped in horror. 'Oh my God...' he whispered.

The reason why Nikki didn't show up this morning was because she was dead. Still dressed in her nightgown, the maid was hanging from a noose in the middle of her bedroom. Her long brown hair covered most of her face, her lifeless body dangling motionlessly a few inches above the floor. A chair, which was definitely used as her support, had been tipped over and acted as a silent witness to her suicide. Damien couldn't believe his eyes, it felt like he had entered some horrid nightmare. This was not what he expected to see at all, this was too surreal to believe...

'Fa-Fa-Father told m-m-me to check o-on her...' Madeline stuttered, not taking her eyes off Nikki's dead body. 'O-o-oh God... not again... not again!'

'What's going on here?!'

Footsteps could be heard on Damien's right. Upon seeing the gruesome sight, Frederick slightly widened his eyes in shock. Apparently the suicide of a maid did more to emotionally move him than the sudden death of his alcoholic wife... For a moment the butler expected his employer to express his horror more, but then the shock on his face turned into the look of someone who was extremely annoyed. 'Goddamn it...' Frederick growled.

On that rainy day, living in the Lancaster mansion had taken yet another toll on one of its residents.


	20. Tyrant

**Chapter 20**

 **Tyrant**

They say that tragedy can bring people together in such dire times... but this obviously wasn't the case with Frederick Lancaster.

The sudden death of Nikki send another wave of shock and disbelief through the household; Damien was convinced that the tormented ghost of the maid was bound to haunt the Lancaster mansion for all eternity. He wanted to believe on that day that it was all just a bad dream, expecting the wake up at any moment with Madeline in his arms, but this was the cruel reality. Nikki was really there, dangling from the noose in the middle of her bedroom. How long had she been hanging there? Since last night or this morning? The butler was convinced that she had hung herself during the night, he would've heard the chair she had used to support herself hitting the ground if she had done that in the morning. If it had happened then, then maybe he could've saved her. True, he felt nothing more but distaste for her, but she didn't deserve to die like this.

As tragic and unexpected Nikki's death was, Damien's heart didn't break for her; no, his heart was breaking for Madeline. His beloved angel was once again unfortunate enough to lay eyes on the second suicide victim in this mansion, her mind had been scarred once more. The butler damned Frederick to Hell for ordering her to enter that bedroom, if that scoundrel had kept his mouth shut, she would've been spared another trauma. She couldn't stop trembling, the face he had planted so many kisses on was as pale as fresh snow, another memory she would never forget for as long as she would live had settled into her mind. No angel should have seen something like this.

On that same day Nikki's body was untied from the noose (Damien would never forget how cold her skin felt, it caused a nearly painful shiver to run up his spine) and send to the morgue, where she would stay until her family would arrive to see her and make plans for her funeral. Frederick had contacted them that afternoon by letter, informing them about the tragic death of their daughter and sister. Sooner or later they would receive that dreadful letter, Damien could imagine the shock that would go through the family once they would read it.

Even though Madeline was visibly shaken up by the horrible sight, she surprisingly (but thankfully) was less affected by the maid's death than by the death of her mother, mainly because of the contempt she had for her. She had never forgiven her for agreeing to have an affair with Frederick while Antoinette was still alive and continuing it after she had died. Madeline only visited Damien one time in his bedroom after the tragedy and that was on the end of that day. Standing in the doorway, dressed in the light pink nightgown that made her look even more innocent, she asked the butler if she could join him in bed; the memory of Nikki's body hanging on the noose was keeping her awake. Damien remembered her often sobbing when she was lying in arms, still mourning for her late mother, but this time, she didn't spill a single tear. No, she despised Nikki way too much for doing that, even in death. But that resentment didn't take away the shock though. Resting her head against Damien's collarbone, his angel seemed to be at peace. It was the comfort that she needed so much. Not once did the butler see Frederick attempting to comfort his daughter that day, he was way too selfish for that; he'd rather lock himself up in his office to sulk then help her with her trauma.

That old buzzard didn't even the courtesy to attend Nikki's funeral two days later; apparently taking care of paper work for some damn factories was more important than that. The butler's angel clearly didn't want to go there either, visiting the funeral of someone you despised was the textbook definition of wasting time. Damien and Madeline thankfully weren't the only guests at the funeral this time, though. The maid's family had come all the way from New York to watch Nikki being lowered into her grave, their faces expressing nothing more but pure grief. It turned out the maid had a sister who had a striking resemblance to her, it was almost like she had stepped out of her coffin to watch herself being buried. After it was all over, Damien thought everything would go back to normal.

He was so wrong about that.

As the days went on, it became perfectly clear that a mean streak had been unleashed inside Frederick. Yes, he had been acting angry towards his family from the day Damien had arrived at the mansion, but this... my God, his anger reached to a nearly tyrannical level. It all started the day after Nikki's funeral. The butler had brought his employer a cup of tea while he was working in his office. Immediately after he had taken a sip from the tea, he bellowed that it was lukewarm and flung the teacup through the office. It crashed against the wall and shattered into dozens of pieces, staining the wallpaper with tea. Damien had to say, this outburst had caught him completely by surprise, it was like this man had been suddenly possessed by an infuriated demon.

But his anger wasn't targeted to the butler alone; one time, when Madeline found the inspiration to play her violin, Damien watched as Frederick stormed out of his office, headed towards his daughter's bedroom and opening the door, shouting at her to stop playing. 'Or else I will throw that damn thing in the fireplace!' he bellowed before slamming the door shut.

The smallest reasons were more than enough for Frederick to explode in a rage. And Madeline knew exactly why. When they were in the backyard together for her daily private lessons one morning, the butler's darling confessed her thoughts to him before making sure her tyrannical father wasn't around. The reason why Frederick was acting like this was because he now had no women left to abreact his whims on, whether they were perverted or angry. He had used Antoinette to let all of his verbal abuse rain on while Nikki acted like his concubine. Frederick had been waiting for women to apply for the job as the new maid, but since many women knew about his reputation thanks to the previous maids who had worked there, nobody with the right mind would go there to become his object of lust; they would rather die out there on the filth-stained streets than sacrifice their last bit of dignity to him. This was what frustrated Frederick so much and fueled the anger that had been raging inside him. Damien and Madeline had now become his targets to abreact his anger on... and it looked like it wasn't going to change anytime soon.

The only time when the atmosphere in the Lancaster mansion wasn't that horribly grim was when the butler and his angel were save to be together. Once they were able to hold each other in their arms, it felt like they had left this miserable place and entered Heaven. As long as they wouldn't do anything that would set Frederick off into his rage (like dusting off the furniture until there wasn't a piece of dust left or not talking back to him), the peace would be kept. But once they were alone together, the tension would fall off their shoulders and they would only have eye for each other. Madeline basically had nobody else left since her father had forever ceased to be her father, hell, he noticed she was starting to be afraid of Frederick, but Damien was more than happy to be there for her.

He would always be there for his dear angel.

* * *

'Dinner is ready, Master Frederick.' Damien said as he entered the dining room with two plates of cooked fish and vegetables.

'About time.' his employer grumbled. 'How come your cooking has taken longer than usual today?'

'Because I wanted to make sure everything was well-cooked, Master Frederick.'

'Just hurry up and serve it already, I'm starving hungry.'

Then go ahead and starve, you heartless bastard. But the butler knew it was better if he kept his mouth shut. For a brief moment he glanced at Madeline, who was sitting at the dinner table as well; she too decided to not say anything. A week had passed since the funeral of Nikki had taken place. The past days had been marked by Frederick's tyrannical behavior, but lately he had been surprisingly more calm. And as long as Damien and Madeline wouldn't do anything to provoke him, it would be fine. Today nothing had happened that made Frederick fly into a rage, so perhaps if dinner time would go smoothly, this day would become the first day where his employer's anger would disappear on the background.

Damien put the plate of food in front of Frederick, fully convinced that the fish and vegetables had been cooked properly.

'Don't forget to pour me some wine, Damien.'

'Of course.'

The butler grabbed the bottle of red wine and poured some into the glass, dearly hoping his employer would drown in it one day. He noticed that Frederick had been drinking quite a lot of wine lately; he hoped he wouldn't go down the same path Antoinette did, for the sake of Madeline. She didn't need another alcoholic excuse of a parent. He turned around and walked to his angel, who was also waiting for her dinner.

'Thank you, Damien. It looks delicious!' she said when the butler put the plate in front of her; at least she was more polite than her father, but then again, she was so much better than him in each way. Even if it was just a little compliment, Damien felt glad that someone showed appreciation for his efforts, and when that someone was his beloved angel, nothing could ruin that little bit of happiness. Now it was time to go back to the kitchen and have his own-

'Goddamn it!' Frederick bellowed at the top of his lungs, throwing down his knife and fork on his plate. The butler could feel his heart skip a beat, turning around with his eyes slightly widened. He saw a vein popping up in the center of his forehead as his face slowly colored red. The butler knew exactly what was going to happen; he was going to explode in rage.

'The asparagus I just bit in was still raw!' Frederick shouted. 'So this is what I have been waiting for all day? What do I look like, a damn rabbit?! I did not hire you to cook horrid food, you idiot! You are completely useless!'

'Don't you dare to say that, Father!' Madeline suddenly yelled back. 'You have no right to speak to Damien like that! He has done nothing more but his best!'

'Be quiet, Madeline! I didn't ask you for your opinion!'

'Of course you didn't, that's because you are such a horrible man! You have done nothing more but yell at us lately! You are so abusive!'

'What did you just say?!'

'You heard me! You are such a horrible man, I hate you so much! You were never a father to me and you never will be! You are a scoundrel and a pervert! I knew all this time what you were doing with Nikki behind Mother's back! Filthy pervert! It's all your fault that Mother and Nikki took their own lives, they couldn't stand being around you! It's because of you that they're dead!'

As if he was stung by a wasp, Frederick got up from his seat, knocking it over in the process. His face had turned into a horrifying mask that expressed pure anger as he charged towards his daughter, who quickly realized her mistake and prepared herself to flee as soon as he would get near her. 'Enough!' Frederick bellowed. 'This is the last time you will ever disrespect me, you ungrateful little bitch! You will get what you've been deserving from the first moment you dared to defy me!'

He raised his hand, ready to strike Madeline in the face. Damien didn't hesitate for a second to step in. This was exactly what he had feared for; the verbal abuse was about to escalate into something much worse. Before Frederick was able to get any closer to his daughter, the butler quickly grabbed him by the wrist.

'Damien! What the devil?!'

'Please, Master Frederick! You don't have to do this. Allow me to be the one to give Lady Madeline the right punishment.'

From the corner of his eye, Damien saw his angel widening her eyes in surprise. But of course he wasn't planning on punishing her. In fact, he was going to save her from all of this. This was all part of a plan he had quickly hatched inside his head. If Frederick would indeed let him do the punishing, he would lead Madeline out of the dinner room and send her upstairs, to her bedroom, where she would be safe. After that, he would tell Frederick that he had given her the punishment. With a bit of luck, Frederick would fall for this.

'It is my task as a butler to let a young woman like her know what's right and what's wrong. She has definitely disrespected you with her words, but you shouldn't get worked up over this. Please, sit down and let me do the work for you.'

Frederick, still seething with anger, didn't say anything for a brief moment, as if he was considering the 'offer'. 'Very well then.' he growled. 'Go ahead. But I'll tell you Damien, if you ever dare to interrupt me again, I won't hesitate to fire you. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Master Frederick.'

The butler let go of his employer's wrist and looked at Madeline. 'Come, Lady Madeline. Follow me.' He saw that she was about to get up from her seat despite the shock that was displayed on her face. Yes, so far his plan was going perfectly...

'Where do you think you're going?' Frederick snarled.

'It's... it's like I said, Master Frederick.' Damien replied. 'I will give her the punishment she deserves, like you agreed.'

'If you're going to punish her, I want you to do it here, right on this spot! Don't you dare to leave this room! If you do so Damien, I will fire you! As your employer, I order you to slap her.'

'B-but Master Frederick...'

'Are you deaf?! Do it now or you can leave tonight!'

Oh dear God, no, this wasn't part of the plan at all; it had completely backfired! Damien could feel his heart beating in his head. He didn't want to do this, he would never hurt Madeline like this, he loved her way too much to do this! But if he wouldn't do this, he would never see her again. God, he felt like he was being torn apart at this moment, it was killing him on the inside. If he would hit her, there would be a chance she would never forgive him for this. But if he wouldn't, Frederick would force him out of the mansion and he would never see his beloved angel again. Staring at Madeline, the inner battle that raged inside him was on the brink of literally killing him. He loved her so much... he had no choice.

Forgive me, my angel.

Damien raised his hand in the air and aimed at her right cheek, one of the many spots where he had kissed her. The sound of the slap broke the silence in the dining room, mixed with a loud shriek of pain emitted by Madeline. The butler's heart cringed as he watched her cheek slowly coloring red. Madeline stared at him, her eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and pain. Her hand touched her painful cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. Damien wanted to say something, tell her that this wasn't what he wanted to do, comfort her, begging her to forgive him for this, but when he was about to do that, a heartbreaking sob escaped past Madeline's lips. Then she got up from her seat and ran out of the dinner room, crying hysterically.

'Well done, Damien.' Frederick said. 'I suppose I was wrong when I told you that you were useless. I'll make sure you will get a raise in your salary for this.'

But the butler couldn't hear his employer's voice over Madeline's crying, echoing through his head and filling up every empty spot.


	21. Lover's Resentment

**Chapter 21**

 **Lover's Resentment**

She couldn't believe it... she couldn't believe he could do something like that to her.

Alone in her bedroom, Madeline truly felt like she would never be able to love or trust somebody again. The young girl could still feel the pain on her cheek, as if the butler had slapped her just a few moment ago. She had no idea what hurt the most; the slap or the fact that Damien, the man she loved with her whole heart, had mercilessly betrayed her and sided with the man she was forced to call her father. Never in her entire life, she had felt this hurt; not even her parents were able to make her feel this hurt during her lonely, love-deprived childhood. It felt like her heart had shattered into millions of pieces and she couldn't find anything to put it back together. Madeline thought she could trust Damien, she thought he was finally going to stand up to her abusive father. Good God, she couldn't believe her ears when he offered to be the one to punish her. What was going on here? For a moment she felt like she was caught in a bad dream, but the young girl soon realized this was the cruel reality when she felt Damien's hand striking her face. She could clearly remember the moment where she felt her heart shattering and when she stared at the butler's face. It was the face that she loved so much, the same face that had haunted her dreams in a good way. But then she didn't see the face of her lover; she saw the face of a traitor.

Even when she was running up the stairs, almost blinded by her own tears, Madeline wanted to believe that this was still a bad dream and that she would wake up at any moment with Damien lying next to her, gently stroking her face and telling her how much he loved her. But no, she was wide awake. As soon as she entered her bedroom, Madeline had slammed the door shut behind her as hard as she could. Lying on her bed, she couldn't stop crying. How long had she been crying? Half an hour? Several hours? She just didn't know, she had lost all track of time. With the tears that trickled down her cheeks, something else came out.

Bitter resentment.

Damien had betrayed her. He had mercilessly stepped on her heart and crushed it right underneath his foot. That treacherous bastard had tricked her into falling in love with him, he pretended to care about her, only to side with her father when the time was right. God, she couldn't believe she fell for it... she hated him so much. That man had touched her, kissed her, he even had been inside her, Madeline almost wanted to vomit at that thought. She had lost her virginity to a filthy traitor. When she heard him knocking on her bedroom door that night, pleading her to let him in and explain everything, but this just made the anger well up more and more. Madeline remembered yelling at him to go away and that she never wanted to see him again, until she heard him falling silent and walking away from the door. For the rest of the night, she stayed in her room, refusing to come out; her father and former lover were dead to her, even more dead than her mother and Nikki.

When she woke up the next morning, Madeline found out her pillow was soaking wet; dear God, she must've cried herself to sleep. But the few hours of dreamless sleep she had that night did nothing to soothe her hatred towards Damien. Her tears had dried up on her cheeks, causing them to feel a bit sticky. From the first moment she awoke, Madeline could feel the anger she had for the butler welling up inside her. She was going to refuse to leave her bedroom, her father or Damien had to drag her out of here if they wanted her to get out. And if they thought she was going to join them for breakfast, they would be so wrong; she would rather starve to death than eat the breakfast the man who broke her heart made for her. Madeline couldn't feel an ounce of love in her broken heart for the butler; she hated him from the bottom of her soul. She thought they had something beautiful going on together, a kind of relationship she never had with anyone. How could he do this to her? What had she done to him to deserve this?! Madeline had absolutely no idea.

As the minutes ticked by and her stomach started to growl in protest, the young girl still refused to go downstairs, let alone speak to her father or Damien. Sitting on her bed and staring at the wall in front of her, Madeline swore she had never felt this upset in her entire life. This was even worse than being yelled at by Frederick or ignored by Antoinette, no, this way more painful that all of that.

She was so hurt...

The fire that represented her anger towards Damien flamed up like a wildfire in an instant. Madeline got up from her bed, got down on her hands and knees and searched for her collection of poems. Once her fingertips touched the leather of the cover, she retrieved it and threw it on her bed. She got up, opened it and searched for the poem she had written for the butler she had once loved. Madeline found it and her eyes hastily read the words. Reading it back at this moment make her anger increase even more. Without any hesitation, Madeline ripped the page out of the book and shred into many tiny pieces. The shreds of paper fluttered down on the sheets of her bed like snowflakes in the winter. The sound of ripping paper did very little to ease Madeline's anger. She couldn't believe she had written those loving words for that man, what a waste of time, how revolting! Eventually the poem couldn't be ripped into any more pieces, but Madeline still felt the need to destroy something to relieve her anger. She looked around and her eye fell on a large square-shaped object in a corner.

The portrait Damien had given to her on her eighteenth birthday.

The young woman got up from her bed and walked towards the corner, trying to figure out how to destroy the present; she could either smash it against the wall or she could kick a hole through it. She picked it up, more than ready to break it... but then, in the blink of an eye, she noticed that she was hesitating. Something inside her was stopping her from destroying the portrait.

But why...?

Staring at the painting, Madeline was brought back to that one day, where she sat down and acted like Damien's muse. She was the one who asked him to paint her and he was more than glad to do this for her. God, she was so excited on that day, she was unable to contain her happiness. It had to be one of the most precious memories she had, next to the night where she and Damien officially became lovers. It was just her and the butler, it was so romantic, so loving. He had shown her how much he actually loved her. Oh, those beautiful memories... it made the fire inside her dim.

Three knocks on the bedroom door made Madeline snap out of her thoughts.

'Madeline?' the voice she would recognize like no other asked behind the door. 'Please, let me in. I want to talk with you, I can explain my actions! Madeline, please, listen to me...'

If she hadn't laid eyes on the portrait a few moments ago, Madeline would've yelled at him to leave her be, but now it was like she was frozen, torn between the heartbreak and resentment that still lingered around her and the will to give him a chance. But those memories, those unforgettable memories... She closed her eyes for a second and let out a sigh, then stood up and walked to the door. Fine, she was going to let him in... but she wasn't sure whether she was able to forgive him or not for what he had done. Madeline would never forget the fact that the love of her life had hit her, it hurt her so much to know that.

Was Damien still the love of her life?

* * *

The door slowly opened and butler was almost startled by the nearly emotionless eyes that stared at him in the doorway. The area around Madeline's eyes had colored in a soft shade of red; the poor peach must have cried herself to sleep, realizing that broke Damien's heart even more. There couldn't be a single trace of what came close to love found on Madeline's face. The realization that this was all his fault struck Damien like the punch of a bare-knuckle fighter in the streets of London. Even though he was glad that she finally decided to let him talk, he decided to remain calm; if he would act desperate, things were likely to escalate.

'Can I come in?' he asked. Please my dear angel, can you ever forgive me for what I've done?

The young girl nodded, not saying a word. She stepped back, allowing the butler to enter her bedroom. The door closed behind him with a soft click and on that moment, he could see emotion in her eyes; she was about to burst into tears.

'Why did you do it, Damien?' Madeline asked with a slightly trembling voice, glaring straight at the butler. Tears started to spill over, trickling down her cheeks. 'You're so cruel! I thought that we were lovers! You are supposed to be in love with me, not side with my father! How could you do this to me?! You have betrayed me, you have hurt me in the worst way possible! I thought you loved me!'

'And I do love you, Madeline!' Damien replied, still trying to hold onto his calm and collected attitude. 'But please, listen to me. I never wanted to hurt you, but I had no choice!'

'That's a lie! You did have a choice! You could've stopped Father from hitting me, but instead you offered to be the one to hit me!'

'I did want to stop Frederick, that's why I said that! I wanted to save you, Madeline! But the plan, it went wrong!'

'Plan? What are you talking about?'

'The reason why I offered to do the punishment was so I could get you of there. I wasn't going to slap you, I'm telling the truth here, Madeline. The plan was to lead you out of the dinner room under the guise of punishing you. But... it completely backfired. I was convinced that it was going to work, God, I was such a fool... But it's the truth and nothing else, Madeline. I have never wanted to hurt you. I will probably never forgive myself for what I have done. _Ma fleur franco-américaine_ , you are everything to me. You are my angel. I have waited an eternity for a young woman like you, so why would I possibly want to hurt you like that?'

Madeline stared at the butler, as if she was on the verge of forgiving him. She then glanced at the ground and shook her head. 'I... I don't know if I can believe you... You have hurt me so much...'

'Madeline.' Damien never thought he would do this for any woman, but she was definitely worth it. He went down on his knees, kneeling in front of her. His angel slightly frowned in confusion and opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when he grabbed her hands. 'Look at me, my love.' he said. 'I'm on my knees for you right now, but not as the man who had broken your heart on purpose, but as the man who is willing to do everything for you to keep you safe from the horrors your father has to offer you. Yes, I admit, I failed to help you last night, and I will never forgive myself for this failure. _Ma chère,_ listen to me when I say this. If I wouldn't have slapped you, your father would've fired me and I would never be able to see you again. I refuse to continue living without you on my side, my love. Some lovers are more than willing to do the most horrible things for the ones they love... and I suppose I am one of them. But I would never betray you. You are the love of my life, Madeline Lancaster. And that will never change.'

It was completely quiet in the bedroom.

As she stared into her beloved butler's eyes, Madeline could feel her heart starting to ache. Dear God, she couldn't, she just couldn't...

'Damien...'

Without any warning, the young woman went down on her knees and pulled him in for a forgiving embrace. Since last night, the butler felt like heavy chains had wrapped around his soul, but as soon as his angel pressed her body against his, the chains fell off with a rattling noise before they crumbled into dust.

'Nobody has ever spoken to me with such sincerity...' Madeline whispered, burying her face against his shoulder and running her fingers through his black hair. 'I believe you... and I forgive you.'

'My darling...' Damien wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling the love they had for each other melting back together as one. His angel suddenly looked up, smiled at him and kissed him on his lips, sealing the forgiveness. He was more than glad to give into it, just like all the other times she had kissed him, closing his eyes and gently kissing back. They both soon needed air and the kiss was abruptly broken.

'I love you...' the butler whispered, wiping a lock of hair that was hanging in front of his angel's face away. He saw a warm twinkle appearing in the corner of her eyes, accompanied by that one smile that was able to unleash his deepest desires for her inside him; it was the smile that had a mix of playfulness and a small hint of mischief in it. The kiss had caused her cheeks to turn in a soft shade of red.

'Show me how much you love me, Damien...'

The butler didn't have to be told that twice. Letting out a soft grunt, he dove in for another kiss, this time a little more rougher but definitely more passionate. Madeline touched his cheeks, pulling him in closer. The love that had died last night was now resurrected, collecting the pieces of her heart and putting them back together. The young woman could feel Damien's beard scratching against her chin, but she didn't mind it; she no longer saw him as the man who betrayed her, but as her true love. Their lips parted with a barely audible pop and Damien moved his lips to the sensitive skin of her neck, planting numerous kisses on it. Madeline closed her eyes and whimpered in delight.

'Ah... so good...'

But Damien wasn't planning on stopping his treatment right there. He stood up and grabbed Madeline's hand, guiding in her to her bed. As soon as she realized where this was going, the smile on her face grew bigger. The butler sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her towards him, allowing her to sit down on his lap and face him. When Madeline was done with positioning herself, Damien slowly pulled down the neckline of his angel's dress, pulling down her sleeves along with it, exposing the small breasts he had touched so many times. In a fit of burning passion, the butler buried his mouth between the globes of flesh, kissing and licking the skin between them. Madeline softly hummed, running her fingers through the butler's raven black hair.

'Yes... ah, Damien... I love you so much...'

Damien could swear to God that her voice was driving him crazy with passion. His hands touched her everywhere, running down from her back to her behind, he couldn't help but giving it a gentle squeeze. He wanted to be the only man to touch her like this, every man who would dare to do this to her would have to fear his wrath. Madeline was his angel, she would forever be his angel. Suddenly she slipped out of his hands, now standing in front of him. Her smile had something seductive when she stripped herself of her undergarments, kicking it away once she had taken it off. Her hands reached for Damien's crotch, her fingers slowly unbuttoned his pants and released his fully hardened manhood; laying eyes upon it caused her to softly giggle.

'There, that's more like it...'

Madeline positioned herself back on his lap again, more than ready for what she was going to do next. Moments later, Damien felt a hot, wet, soft sensation engulfing his manhood inch by inch, the first sparks of pleasure traveling through his loins. His angel slightly bit her lower lip as she lowered herself on him, ignoring the minor pain and concentrating on the pleasure.

'Oh God, Madeline...' the butler whispered with a hoarse voice.

'This is what you want, right?' the young woman asked, the seductive smile not leaving her face for a second. 'Making love with each other, making our bodies and soul become one... I know you want this, Damien.'

'Yes... Madeline... I... I want you... so much!' Taking a hold of her buttocks, Damien started to thrust his hips upwards, pounding himself and out of her. As the jolts of pleasure became heavier, Madeline let out a soft cry and rested the back of her head against her neck, making her long, wavy, golden hair look like a waterfall of hair. More thrusts followed, increasing the pleasure more; for a split moment she thought she wasn't able to think straight anymore. She began to roll her hips by herself, causing Damien to let of her behind and let himself fall on his back, allowing to pleasure to take full control of him.

'I... I, ah! I want you to be the, hmm, only man in my life, Damien!' Madeline cried out. 'I don't... I don't want, ah, anybody else, only you! Aahaaa!'

'Ma...de...line... Yes... I want you too!' The butler replied in between his panting.

The butler put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He immediately pressed his lips against hers, earning a loud hum from her. The butler grabbed her behind again and moved his hips in a faster pace, causing Madeline to abruptly break the kiss and let a louder, trembling cry of pleasure. Both of their bodies were screaming for more, thirsty for the passionate love they had for each other. This was pure bliss, nothing more and nothing and less.

It didn't last long before Damien felt that he was getting close to falling over the edge. 'Madeline... I'm going to... oh God, Madeline!'

Knowing what was coming next, his angel quickly got off of him. It took three quick strokes for the butler to reach his climax, letting out a shuddering groan as thick drops of white trickled down his knuckles.

A peaceful, nearly dreamy atmosphere suddenly filled the room as the rekindled lovers enjoyed the quiet aftermath together. With a fiery red blush on her cheeks and her eyes half-lidded, Madeline rested her body against Damien, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. The butler leaned in a bit closer to kiss her on the forehead.

'Father can try all he wants...' his angel mumbled. 'But he can never separate us. Right, Damien?'

Damien smiled at her and nodded.

Nothing could make him stop loving her.


	22. When The Mask Comes Off

**Chapter 22**

 **When The Mask Comes Off**

Despite the fact that the weather was warmer than usual (but thankfully not reaching the point where it just became unbearable) in the morning and afternoon, it seemed like Mother Nature had finally decided to let her wrath rain upon the creatures that had defiled her kingdom in so many ways. When Damien was washing the dirty dishes in the kitchen after dinner time, he had seen the sky coloring in a rather unsettling shade of grey, it was so dark, he knew that something angry and loud was brewing up there. Was it perhaps an enraged Elizabeth, thinking he had forgotten all about her by putting all the love his body could contain inside Madeline? Then the queen of all angels would've been terribly mistaken; Damien would never forget Elizabeth, he would never forget the first angel he had ever loved. The butler was soon proven right when a loud rumbling noise broke the silence in the mansion. Elizabeth had whipped up a raging storm, considering a night without proper sleep to be the perfect punishment for her mortal lover.

Madeline and Damien had rekindled their relationship that Frederick had tried to destroy. But his angel was right about what she said after they had passionately repaired what had been broken; Frederick would never be able to tear them apart. Yes, that heartless excuse of a father and employer could try all he want, he could even attempt to cleave them with a sword or ax if he'd please, but those weapons would just simply shatter into hundreds of pieces. The butler and his angel were convinced that their secret relationship had become even stronger when they came back together. Damien was pretty sure that the angels that were still trapped in their butterfly disguises knew about this as well; while the rekindled lovers were still enjoying the soothing aftermath, he had briefly looked up and saw two butterflies with frail, white wings resting on the windowsill, slowly fluttering their wings before they suddenly took off to their temporary kingdom of red roses.

The day had continued without any problems, even Frederick had been surprisingly calm. Perhaps he had assumed that his 'disobedient' daughter had taught her lesson and learned who had the authority in the Lancaster mansion. But Damien had no problem with leaving that bastard in his tyrannical fantasy world, because he knew better. The butler also knew that Madeline hated her father more than ever now, like she had claimed many times; but now that Frederick had actually attempted to make her resent him for life, chances were that father and daughter were never going to have a healthy relationship. But then again... they never actually had a real father-daughter relationship to begin with. Now that Damien thought about it, Madeline actually didn't have anything that came close to a relationship with anyone in this mansion. William, Antoinette, Nikki... they all never bothered to show some real care about her. She was truly a lonely girl... the butler was so glad that he had entered her world just in time.

After they had restored their relationship that morning, Madeline was more than glad to be herself again, reading her favorite books with him and playing the violin for him. It was like nothing had happened that night; Damien dearly hoped they would both forget it as soon as possible. Madeline was on his side again, their hearts had been healed and everything had gone back to normal.

But that night, when the butler was preparing himself to go to sleep after a long day of emotions and chores, he couldn't help but glance at the deep dark grey sky, the happiness he had felt during the day seemed to disappear on the background. Staring at the sky, which was often lightened up by a sudden flash of thunder, followed by an ungodly loud rumbling. It had began to rain, hundreds of raindrops stained all of the windows of the Lancaster mansion. Damien felt that there was something... eerie about the sky. It was so dark, so angry... it reminded him of death.

Death.

That ominous word found its way into his mind and settled down there, refusing to leave when he entered his bed to go to sleep. No matter how long the butler would close his eyes, he just couldn't fall asleep. Death... it had played a huge role in the household these past days. It had taken three people away, all of them who were associated with Frederick Lancaster in some way. Perhaps Madeline was right... was it really Frederick's appalling behavior that drove Antoinette and Nikki to take their own lives? If a man like him would be present in a woman life, he could imagine they would no longer have such a happy look on life. Frederick Lancaster was a specimen made of poison; everyone who would dare to come close to him would be affected by his venom.

Another flash of lightening briefly illuminated the butler's bedroom before disappearing and producing that hellish noise. Even though it was almost midnight, Damien hadn't felt one moment of sleepiness. Staring at the ceiling, something inside him prevented of falling asleep, but he had no idea what it was. Was it maybe the storm that was raging outside? He could imagine some of the petals of the roses in the garden being torn off and taken away by the howling wind, the damage to the garden they would see the following morning would set Frederick off into another fit of rage for sure. Realizing that he wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, Damien decided to put his everyday wear on; if he would eventually be a able to feel the drowsiness kicking in, he would simply put his sleeping wear back on. He thought about working on the painting of the flowers or reading a book, but the butler didn't feel the urge to do so. The unnamed distraction inside him prevented him of doing anything, as if it wanted him to concentrate on it.

Damien felt like there was something... wrong.

The word 'death' had been lingering inside his mind for quite a while now, as if it was trying to tell him something. Closing his eyes, Damien was brought back to the moments where he laid eyes upon the dead bodies of Antoinette and Nikki. It was like it was only yesterday when the tragedies had struck the household. He could still vividly remember the bloody cuts on Antoinette's wrists, her blood trickling down her fingers and dripping on the bathroom floor, her hair that floated around her face like rotten seaweed on the coast of a French beach. The way Nikki hung on the noose that ended her life had almost reminded Damien of a doll, so motionless, so lifeless. Thinking about the suicides made the feeling inside him even stronger. Two women who were associated with Frederick had taken their own lives in such a short time...

Damien suddenly opened his eyes. Why? Why did it happen? Why would they do this to themselves if there had been another way to escape their miserable lives? Antoinette was rich, she could easily leave Frederick and buy herself another home, either here in the United States or in her homeland France. A note containing the reason why she would kill herself was never found, as if she had done it in a whim of desperation. Was she even feeling well enough to write one? Now it suddenly came back to Damien; Antoinette was seriously ill that day. He remembered her being as pale as the sheets of her bed, a ray of sunlight was enough to trigger something that came close to pain. When he had brought her lunch that afternoon, she could barely eat it.

Then she must've been too weak to go to the bathroom by herself to slit her wrists in the bathtub as well.

Damien felt the unnamed feeling sink to his stomach, where it settled down and became stronger. His memories were then shifted to Nikki, the dead maid. From the way she had tried to seduce him back on the graveyard, he was convinced that she had grown tired of her affair with Frederick. He had found out how possessive his employer actually was when he had overheard their conversation when they came home that same day. What did Nikki have to lose here as a maid? He could only think of her salary, which was definitely quite something, but would you be willing to earn that amount of money if you had to work for a pervert like Frederick Lancaster? Nikki had been working here before Damien had arrived in the mansion, so it was likely that she had already received her salary numerous times. So if she wanted to quit her job (and her lecherous affair), she could just walk out with all the money, start anew and find a job whereof the employer wasn't an unfaithful, shameless pig. She had a family, so she wouldn't be homeless either.

And yet Madeline was unfortunate enough to find Nikki dangling from a noose that following morning.

There was no way Damien was going to fall asleep by now. At this moment, it felt like the unnamed feeling in his stomach was screaming at him that there was more behind the unexpected deaths of Antoinette and Nikki. And there was in fact more. Five days after Antoinette took her own life in the bathtub, the maid had decided she had enough of living in the Lancaster mansion as well and join her employer's wife in the cold, dark void. It was so sudden, just like with Antoinette. And just like her, a suicide note hadn't been found either. Had Nikki also decided in a whim that she couldn't live with the fact that she was associated with the likes of Frederick? No warning, no signs... it made a heavy shiver run down the butler's spine.

What in God's name was happening in this damned place...?

Suddenly, a noise that was even louder than the thunder outside made Damien snap out of his thoughts; he recognized that sound as the sound of heavy furniture being tipped over. Along with the noise, something shattered to pieces on the floor and immediately after that, a loud exclamation. It was produced by a male voice... a male voice that sounded panicked. The butler immediately sat up straight in bed. There could be only one person who could sound like this.

Frederick.

More loud shouting was heard, but it was not the angry shouting that Damien would hear from his employer during one of his many rants; judging from his voice, he was scared to death. Dear God, what was happening to him?! Despite the fact that the butler despised this man more than anything in the world, he felt that he was in desperate need of help. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and exited his bedroom. Screams were heard from his left, at the end of the second floor. Goosebumps appeared underneath the fabric of Damien's blouse; these were the kind of screams a murder victim would emit before being brutally slaughtered. Whoever was attacking him could perhaps be aiming for his dear Madeline as the next victim... dear God, no! With his heart rapidly in his chest, Damien ran to the end of the corridor, the desperate screams of Frederick becoming louder as he got closer and closer. As soon as he arrived at the door, he swung it open and stepped inside the bedroom.

The butler's blood froze instantly.

Frederick attempted to get away from his attacker by crawling to the doorway, but he had already lost way too much blood in order to escape. Numerous stab wounds decorated his body, staining the fabric of sleeping wear with nothing more but blood. The employer collapsed just inches away from Damien's feet. He looked up, his eyes wide with horror. Frederick reached out for the butler, softly whimpering and his hand violently trembling.

'Help... me...' he whispered.

But it was too late to save Frederick Lancaster. His attacker let out a savage scream and pinned him down, raising the bloody butcher knife in the air, ready for the fatal blow. The knife came down and the blade pierced right through his throat, causing him to open his mouth to scream in pain, but instead of scream, a haunting bubbling noise escaped his mouth. The attacker pulled out the knife and repeatedly launched the blade into Frederick's chest, planning on giving everything but a peaceful death. Blood splattered on the floor and the walls, oh dear God, so much blood... Damien thought his head was about to spin. Only when Frederick stopped gurgling in his own blood, his killer stopped stabbing him.

Frederick was dead, but so was something else; Damien's love for Madeline.

Staring at the mutilated corpse of her father, Madeline quickly breathed in and out, clenching the handle of the butcher knife so tightly that her knuckles turned white. There was absolutely nothing angelic about her anymore. Her face, her hair, her hands, her nightgown that made her look so innocent... everything was covered in blood splatters. Oh God in Heaven, dear Lord, sweet Elizabeth, this couldn't be real, this had to be a nightmare! But as much as Damien wished that this wasn't real, this was the cruel, horrifying, sinister reality. Madeline, the angel he had loved with his whole heart... Madeline, who had given herself to him on that one magical night... Madeline, the young woman he had shared so many pleasant moments with... she had taken off her mask and revealed her true form; the form of a merciless, coldblooded killer. The young girl he had met in that sea of roses that one day was in fact a monster. Covering his mouth with his hand, Damien managed to suppress a scream of horror just in time. No no no, he refused to believe it, please, someone, for the love of God, he wanted to be woken up from this nightmare!

Just then, Madeline looked up and stared at him. The look in her eyes... oh God... he knew that look from somewhere. When he was still a teacher in London, Damien had once accompanied a colleague to an asylum to help him with his studies of the criminally insane. At one point, they were walking past the padded cells, where according to his colleague, the most dangerous criminals that inhabited the asylum were locked up in. Damien had made the mistake to look through the small window in the door of one of the padded cells and saw a man staring back at him. His colleague had explained that this man had been arrested for butchering his wife and three children in their sleep. The look in the eyes of that man... Damien would never forget it. It was mix between madness and the strong urge to kill; the look of a madman.

And Madeline had that same look in her eyes.

Glancing down at Frederick's dead body, Damien saw something that cemented the feeling that there was indeed something wrong about the suicides of Antoinette and Nikki. Deep cuts were made into his wrists.

'Madeline...' the butler managed to say. 'It... It was you...'

A chuckle escaped from the deranged girl's throat as she slowly got back up her feet. Still staring at Damien, a strange, eerie grin spread across her blood-stained face.

'You are correct, my love...' she calmly responded. 'It was me. It was me, all along. I killed Mother and Nikki... and as you can see, I have now killed Father as well.'

A flash of thunder illuminated the bedroom for a split second, followed by the unbearable rumbling noise.


	23. Hell Hath No Fury Like An Angel Scorned

**Chapter 23**

 **Hell Hath No Fury Like An Angel Scorned**

'Why...?'

That was the only word Damien could think of to say to his deranged lover, who had confessed without any shame or denial that she had killed her own mother, father and the maid.

The sight, dear God, the sight was something straight out of a nightmare. Madeline, whose hair was supposed to look clean and pretty, her light pink nightgown that was supposed to increase her innocent looks, her hands that had touched him so many times, had been covered with Frederick's blood; a normal angel would instantly lose her mind of horror if she was unfortunate enough to have her parent's blood splattered all over her. But Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster didn't seem to be fazed by it at all. This wasn't right... Angels are pure and innocent creatures, dear Elizabeth, Queen Of Angels, your loyal page has deceived you, she wasn't supposed to look like this...

'Why did you do this?' Damien asked, his voice soft with shock. 'Antoinette... Nikki... Frederick... You killed them all...'

Another sinister chuckle escaped past Madeline's lips. 'And? Am I supposed to regret killing them? Why would I feel sad about the deaths of the ones who never cared about me? I'm sorry my dear Damien, but if you really think that, you are sadly mistaken. I hate to tell you this, but it's the truth.'

'It wasn't suicide... you have set everything up so nobody would find out the true cause of their deaths!'

The young psychopath formed her grin back into a smile, let out a satisfied hum and slowly clapped her hands, as if she approved of the butler giving the right answer to this grisly mystery. 'Bravo, my love. Bravo. You have figured it all out. No surprise, actually. I have thought you were always a brilliant man. Yes, it's true. None of them had taken their own lives, it was all me. Do you want to hear about how I executed my perfect little plan?'

Even though Damien knew he wasn't trapped in some horrible nightmare and that this was the cruel reality, he couldn't believe that all of these words came out of the mouth that he had passionately kissed on so many moments, whether they were at night in bed or at daylight when they were alone together. These were the words a demon or a coldblooded killer would speak... and this cemented the true nature of Madeline. The sight of the blood, the mutilated body of Frederick combined with the terrifying discovery about his angel's true face made Damien's head felt like spinning, he thought he was going to faint at any moment. But miraculously, he managed to regain consciousness. It felt like his legs had been fused with the floor underneath his feet; it was impossible to run or even look away from this nightmarish sight.

Without waiting for an answer, Madeline decided to reveal everything to the butler. Her lips spread back into that sinister grin as she started to speak. 'Like you know, it all started with my oh so beloved Mother, that pathetic, worthless, alcoholic bitch. If she hadn't been ill on that day, she could've lived a few more days before I could find the next opportunity to kill her. But being ill... ha, it made everything so much easier. She was fast asleep, she didn't even wake up when I opened the door. But I had expected that from that bitch, nothing can wake her up after she had been drinking. Nobody was around, I had made sure of that. So I dragged Mother out of her bed and dragged her all the way to the bathroom. There I put her in the bathtub and opened the tap. I'll be honest with you, I was surprised that not even all of that was enough to wake her up. I grabbed my father's shaving blade, exposed the wrists of that bitch and...' Madeline stopped for a second to quickly wave her index fingers two times. 'Swish swoosh. It was like cutting through butter. So easy. I have to admit, seeing so much blood for the first time made me feel a little bit nauseous at first, but I soon felt a lot better when it was confirmed that Mother was dead.'

On the verge of trembling, Damien could clearly imagine how it all went; he imagined Madeline, dragging Antoinette through the corridor while looking around her, making absolutely sure there would be nobody to witness the crime she was about to commit. (If there were any witnesses, would she have killed them as well?) She would put her mother in the bathtub, twist open the tap, stare at Frederick's shaving blade for a split moment and then slash Antoinette's wrists until her veins ran dry with that same sinister grin that she had on her face now.

'And then we have Nikki, that filthy slut of a maid.' Madeline continued, this time her voice had something contemptuous when she mentioned the maid. 'Oh, how much I hated that woman. I have never forgiven her for sleeping with my father behind my mother's back and even now that she's dead, I won't forgive her for that. I have to say, killing her was a little bit harder than the time that I cut Mother's wrists. Smothering someone with a pillow is kind of different than the way they describe it in the books, oh no, the person doesn't die that quickly. Remember that time you joined me in bed? Well, while you were fast asleep, I grabbed my pillow, snuck into Nikki's bedroom and pressed the pillow right onto her face while she was still sleeping. Oh, she did wake up, though... but when she desperately tried to shove me off, it was already too late for her. I pressed the pillow against her face for a little while longer after she stopped struggling, just to be sure that she was really dead. And she was, thankfully. After that, I prepared the noose for her. Then it was all just a matter of a bit of lifting and putting everything into position... but the result was definitely worth the effort.'

The following thought made Damien's head feel like spinning even more. Nikki must've screamed at the top of her oxygen-deprived lungs when she found out something was suffocating her, but the screaming would've caused her to run out of the little bit of air she had left to breathe. Besides, nobody would've heard her; the pillow must've muffled her screaming. Her hands must've clawed at Madeline in an attempt to break away from the suffocation, but the innocent-looking psychopath wouldn't budge. Eventually, Nikki's head would've started to feel lighter and lighter... until the smothering darkness pulled her in; during the whole time, Madeline had grinned from ear to ear while she watched the maid suffocating to death. He imagined his psychotic angel tying the noose to the ceiling, use the chair to make it easier for her to put Nikki's head through the noose and once she was done, the only thing she had to do was to tip the chair to make everyone believe the maid had indeed hung herself. The realization that Madeline went back to sleep with her head resting on the same pillow she had used to kill Nikki made the butler shiver in horror.

'As you can see, my 'beloved' father here was next... but unfortunately, it didn't go exactly as planned. It appeared that he wasn't such a heavy sleeper like Mother was, perhaps I might have overlooked that. I admit, this one went a little sloppy. While I was cutting his wrist, he woke up from the pain and tried to fight back. Thankfully it didn't last too long. But never mind that, that old bastard isn't worth mentioning, let's go back to the execution of my _plan fantastique_. To make it all more believable, I had to use all the acting skills I possessed. Hmm, maybe if I won't become a poetess in the future, I could always become an actress!' Then Madeline burst into laughter, as if she had just told a hilarious joke; or she was just amused by the fact that she had managed to fool everybody with her fake tears. Madeline, the deceitful angel. 'You know... I have to tell you something, Damien... I'm sure you'll understand this, since we are lovers. When you hit me that night because Father told you so, I had thought of killing you as well. I thought the only man I have ever truly loved had betrayed me... but now that I know the truth, I have decided to let you live. Because after all, I still had love for you in my heart. How foolish I was to think that you would actually betray me...It's like you said, right? Sometimes, lovers are willing to do the most horrible things for each other...'

Oh God, she had actually considered murdering him... it felt like an invisible hand squeezed the butler's throat shut; so that's what she had been thinking of all night when she had locked herself up in her room.

'Oh, how rude of me, please forgive me Damien!' Madeline suddenly exclaimed. 'I haven't answered your question of why I did it! Well, the answer might be obvious now, or not?' The eerie look in her eyes was suddenly replaced by the warm, loving look she always had in her eyes whenever she was with Damien, her grin turned into a small smile, which unsettled the butler even more. Madeline slowly walked towards him and touched his cheeks with her bloody hands, one of hands still holding the butcher knife. Damien could smell the blood that covered the blade, it nearly made him gag.

'The reason why I killed everybody... is because I love you so much, Damien.'

'W-what...?'

'Everything is perfect now. Nobody who will stand in our way. My love, we are finally free to be together. I will inherit this mansion, we can get married, we can even have children! Thank you for opening my eyes... I should've killed my parents and Nikki a long time ago. We don't have to hide our relationship for anyone anymore! It's just the two of us now. It's what you wanted too, no? You and me, forever and ever...'

With his eyes still widened in pure shock, Damien slowly shook his head. 'No... not like this! Dear God, Madeline, come to your senses and look at what you've done! All this death, all this violence... it's what I've never wanted!'

As another lightning bolt rolled across the sky with a mighty roar, the butler watched as the smile slowly disappeared of his deranged lover's face and the loving look faded away, replacing it with that crazed look she had when the butler caught her slaughtering Frederick. The green eyes he had loved so much now reminded him of burning venom. He felt his stomach sinking to his paralyzed feet as he realized the horrible mistake he had made; he had rejected the romantic feelings of a young psychopath.

Madeline let go of the butler's face and took three steps back, her feet touching the legs of her dead father. 'Damien...' she whispered, her eyes made of venom burning into his soul. 'Don't tell me... Are you... Are you... Are you rejecting me?!' Those two last words were screamed at the top of her lungs, causing her voice to sound so shrill that more fear was struck into Damien's heart. The last bit of what came close to the beauty and innocence she had was now forever gone; the angel had ripped off her invisible wings and showed her true face. The face of a psychotic murderer. 'No! You can't do this to me!' Madeline screamed furiously. 'You son of a filthy fucking whore! How dare you betraying me like this! After everything I have done for you, you ungrateful bastard! I have killed everybody in the name of love and you reject me! I have trusted you and yet you dare to humiliate me! I even gave my virginity to you! I thought you loved me! You disgusting piece of scum! I love you, that's why I murdered everybody in this goddamn place! How could you do this to me, Damien?!'

Covering her face with her hands, the eighteen-year old psychopath burst into tears, hysterically crying. But Damien no longer felt the urge to comfort her; all the love he had for her was gone, replaced with nothing more but fear. He remembered promising himself so many times that he was going to love her nobody what would happen, but this... he was never going to love a crazed killer like her. Madeline was insane, completely and utterly insane! You could never be an angel with that trait. Then the deranged girl looked up, glaring at the butler. If it was possible, her eyes would be spewing venom right now.

'You... you... you will die for this!'

Those words triggered something inside Damien; it was the sensation returning to his legs. When he saw his former lover slowly rising the butcher knife in the air, he felt something else. Everything in his body was telling him to run.

Run, before this deluded bitch would kill him too!

Letting out an ear-deafening scream, Madeline charged towards Damien, blood could be seen trickling from the blade. The butler didn't have to think about it twice; he turned around and ran away, with his heart beating in his throat. And it turned out he had moved just in time... because a second after he started to run, Madeline launched the blade into the wooden doorpost, piercing the thick wood with all the strength she had. Realizing she had missed her target, the young woman screamed in frustration.

'Come back here, Damien! I'll make you pay!'

But the butler had no intentions of going back to her. He had to leave this mansion, quick, before he would join Nikki, Antoinette and Frederick. As he ran over the corridor, he saw the stairs that would lead him to his escape. If he would run as fast as he could, he would be able to outrun his bloodthirsty former lover and escape this damn mansion. He wouldn't look over his shoulder for a second, because he had only one thing on his mind; leaving this entire goddamn mess behind him to stay alive. The stairs were just a meter away from him, just a little bit more and-

Something cold and hard cut through the fabric of his waistcoat and blouse, slashing open his back and making him grunt in pain. Oh dear God in Heaven, she had caught up with him, the butler realized. Then Damien made yet another crucial, regrettable mistake; he didn't look at where he was going. And before he could grab onto something, Damien tripped over his own feet.

The last thing he felt before everything went black was the pain that filled his head when his head hit the stairs.

* * *

Floating in this dark mist... it had something serene, nearly peaceful even. There was no pain, no fear, no Madeline... for a brief moment, Damien was convinced that he was dead.

There was nothing around him, only the soothing darkness. It felt like he was floating, weightless, like a handkerchief floating in a gust of wind. He had to be dead, yes, that was it, it had to be. Damien had heard many theories about the afterlife, and the theory that it was just all a big black nothing was one of those theories. While some people wanted to believe that their souls would arrive in a place full of flowers, sunshine and singing angels, others were convinced that if you were dead, the soul would die along with the body and remain there, trapped in a mist of darkness. Perhaps those people had been right all along... But Damien didn't have a problem with this. This was almost just as pleasant as the theory of that huge, wonderful garden. He didn't need any flowers to feel at peace; the darkness was already doing that work for him.

For a little while it was neither warm nor cold in this place, but the butler suddenly felt a certain kind of heat, which increased more and more by the second. Oh God, could it be? Did he end up in Hell? Was he about to pay for failing to unravel the truth behind the 'suicides' sooner? The warmth took the peacefulness away, becoming more and more unbearable. Damien felt the darkness thinning out, until a bright, fiery light pulled him out of his serene trance.

No, he didn't fall into Hell; it was just Madeline setting the mansion on fire with a burning log she must've retrieved from the fireplace in the living room.

'They won't find any evidence if everything is burned to the ground...' Damien heard her saying to herself while she held the fire against the wallpaper. 'Who is ever going to suspect someone like me?' A crazed giggle escaped past her lips as she watched the wallpaper catching fire, increasing the blaze that was already raging in the mansion.

In the blink of an eye, Damien regained consciousness. His head was hurting all over and he felt something sticky and wet on the right side of his face. Blood, that had to be blood, he realized. He found himself lying at the bottom of the stairs; he couldn't believe he had actually survived the entire fall. He was alive, but still not out of danger. Perhaps Madeline had assumed the fall down the stairs had killed him... dear God, that insane bitch was going to burn him alive! Glancing at the top of the stairs, the butler saw that the second floor had already been engulfed in a raging inferno, Madeline must have started the fire up there. Bright orange flames, mixed with red and yellow licked the wallpaper, swallowed the paintings that had decorated the walls whole and burned the bedrooms to ashes. And it wouldn't last long before the lower floor would suffer the same fate... Just then, something that was luckily not affected by the raging flames just yet caught Damien's eye.

The front door.

This was his only chance of escape, Damien knew that. It was the only way of getting away from Madeline and her madness. She was still busy with setting the remaining walls on fire, she hadn't noticed him at all... and he wanted it to stay like that. To be able to escape, he had to be absolutely careful to not catch her attention. Practically holding his breath, Damien slowly crawled towards the front door, like a wounded soldier on a battlefield. He tried to ignore the agonizing pain in his head and keep himself quiet as much as possible. He felt his hopes flaring up, just like the fire on the second floor, when he got closer and closer to the door. The butler felt his freedom on the tip of his tongue, dear God, he was almost there...

'Darling.'

Despite the suffocating heat, all of Damien's blood froze upon hearing the voice he had once sounded like the finest music to his ears; but if he was going to survive this, this voice was going to haunt his nightmares forever. A foot was launched into his ribcage, kicking him to his side. Damien slammed his eyes shut and groaned in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw Madeline staring down at him with the crazed look that was going to haunt his nightmares along with her voice. Letting out a barely audible gasp, Damien scooted away from her.

'Why haven't you died yet?' Madeline asked. 'I thought when you fell down the stairs that your head had been cracked open... But it doesn't matter, though. At least I get the honor of killing you with my own hands!'

On that moment, Damien noticed she had dropped the burning log near the wall, causing the flames to crawl up and consume the remaining wallpaper. Letting out another enraged scream, Madeline raised the butcher knife that she had still been holding in her other hand in the air and brought it down, this time convinced that this was going to kill the butler. With all the strength he had left inside him, Damien defied the pain in his head and dodged the blade by rolling away and getting up as fast as he could.

'Madeline... stop this!' he pleaded. 'You are insane!'

'Oh, that's not a very nice thing of you to say, Damien... Perhaps it's your fault that I turned out this way! Or maybe it were my parents who made me like this! Oh well, to hell with it, it's because of all of you!'

'We are both going to die in here if we don't get out!'

'No no, you're wrong about that. You are the one who will die here, you bastard. I am the one who is going to escape! I will just tell the police that you had killed my oh so respectable father, then tried to kill me, tried to erase the evidence by setting the mansion on fire, but I was able to fight back and kill you. I'm the daughter of a wealthy family, there will be no doubt they're going to believe me! Now just die already!'

The crazed angel charged at him for another attack, but that's when Damien decided to do something he had never thought of during the time he was in a relationship with this psychopath; fighting her. With all the strength he had, he tackled her and pinned her down to the ground. Grabbing her wrists and using his weight, the butler tried his best to keep the struggling Madeline down.

'Get off of me!' she screamed. 'Get off of me so I can kill you!'

Her hand was still clenched around the handle of the butcher knife; he had to get rid of it, fast. Damien traveled his hand slightly up, touching the fingers. Putting all his strength into his fingers, the butler pried the clenched fist open, occasionally scratching over the fingers in the progress. Madeline tried to keep her fist in place, but unfortunately she was no match for the actual strength of the butler; her finger soon lost their grip over the handle and Damien grabbed it as soon as he could touch it. Now with the butcher knife in his hand, Damien quickly got up and backed away, from the psychotic girl, heading towards the door.

'It's over, Madeline!' he said. 'Give it up!'

Madeline glared at Damien, he had never seen someone with so much hate in her eyes. 'No...' she hissed. 'It won't be over until you're dead, you hear me?! You will die! You're going to die!'

Emitting yet another infuriated scream, Madeline got up and charged towards Damien, more than ready to launch another attack on the man she believed had broken her heart.

The sensation of something sharp and cold piercing her stomach made her stop dead in her tracks. Her face froze in a mask of disbelief and pain.

Both ex-lovers didn't move for an inch, staring in each other's eyes. Madeline broke her gaze away from Damien to look what had been causing her pain. The answer was right there, in the butler's hand; the butcher knife. The blade had buried itself deep into her stomach. As she continued to stare, Madeline saw a huge bloodstain coloring her nightgown red, the size increasing with each second. Damien's eyes grew wide with horror when he saw a drop of blood trickling from the corner of Madeline's mouth, his hands trembling around the handle of the blade.

Oh God... No... This... this wasn't what he wanted to do! Dear God almighty, she had practically launched herself onto that blade!

Madeline let out a soft cough, causing more blood to trickle out of her mouth. She stumbled away from Damien, trembling on her legs. The sight of the handle sticking out of her stomach would mentally scar every person for life. The bloodstain had grown ever bigger, now trickling down the skirt of her nightgown. Drops of blood dripped down the hem onto the floor. The shock on Madeline's face disappeared briefly, replacing it with even more hatred. Clenching her hands around the handle, she braced herself. Oh God, was she going to...?

'Don't!' Damien exclaimed. But it was already too late. With the remaining strength she still had in her body, the psychotic angel pulled the butcher knife out of her stomach, causing her to let out a brief scream of pain. But it wouldn't last long before she would realize her fatal mistake. Looking down, she saw that the bloodstain had now covered almost the entire skirt of her nightgown red. Madeline's eyes grew wide with shock and glanced at Damien. She attempted to say something, but a small wave of blood was the only thing that could escape her mouth. Then she rolled her eyes in the back of her head and collapsed to the ground.

This was his chance. This was his chance to escape this hellhole, to get away from her! Damien turned around and ran towards the door, but just before he could touch the doorknob, he heard a soft voice calling out to him, just sounding a bit louder than the roaring flames.

'Da...mi...en...'

Turning around, the butler felt his heart breaking into a million pieces. There she was, Madeline Theresa Bernadette Lancaster, lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, surrounded by flames and reaching out for him. Tears could be seen trickling down her cheeks, mixing themselves with the blood. 'Please...' she whispered. 'I... I think I'm dying... Damien, my head is feeling so light... Please, don't... don't let me die alone here...'

Oh dear God in Heaven, he couldn't... she didn't deserve to die alone.

The butler walked towards the dying girl and knelt down, holding her in his arms. This was it, he knew. She was going to succumb to her wound at any moment. This was not the way he wanted this to end, this wasn't what he had expected at all when he first met this angel in her little kingdom of roses. She looked so pure and beautiful back then, enough for him to immediately fall in love with her... and now here she was, soaked in blood and surrounded by an inferno that she herself had caused. All this death, all the misery... so much evil that had been hiding inside her. How long had she been hiding this? How long had she been desiring to kill her parents and maid for the man she loved? He was the one who caused this, Damien realized. The love and attention he had given her fed the madness that had been developing itself inside her. And it was because of that madness that she was dying right now.

'Thank you... for coming back...' Madeline whispered. Damien nodded, but didn't say anything. He could feel warm tears welling up in his eyes. 'Come closer... One... One last kiss... please...'

He shouldn't have given into that request, but he did it anyway. Closing his eyes, Damien pressed his lips against Madeline's, tasting her blood. He heard her emitting a soft hum, perhaps finally at peace with her inevitable fate. One last kiss... And then the deceitful angel stabbed the butler in his hip with all the strength she still had left. Damien immediately opened his eyes and ripped his lips off of hers, screaming in pain. He could feel the blood emerging from the wound, more of it trickled out when Madeline pulled out the butcher knife. She let go of it, causing it to fall on the floor with a metallic, clattering noise. Letting out a loud grunt, Damien pressed his hand on the bleeding wound. Then he heard a soft chuckle.

'A little parting gift...' the dying Madeline said with a grin. 'We will... We will soon be reunited... my love...'

She let out one last long sigh and closed her eyes, her body relaxing in the butler's arms. Then she was gone.

Madeline's murderous rampage had come to an end at last.

Oh God... she was dead. Numbed by the pain in his hip and head, Damien had no idea whether he would burst into hysterical crying or feel relief. It was over. The beautiful psychopath, who had caused so much death in the Lancaster mansion, had died. It was that same psychopath he had fallen in love with... was it his love that turned this angel into her monstrous form. Damien let out a trembling sigh, but didn't know if this was out of grief. At one side, he knew that he had prevented his own death at the hands of her, but on the other side, he knew he had accidently killed the young girl he was so madly in love with. It was that same love that had blinded him from the truth. A loud creaking noise coming from the second floor made Damien snap out of his mourning/relief. He had barely felt the agonizing heat that was lingering in the burning mansion. Judging from the noise he had just heard, it wouldn't last long before the whole place was going to collapse.

He had to get out. Now. But not without Madeline. No, despite everything she had done, she didn't deserve to have her body burned in these raging flames. (When Damien thought about it, Frederick's mutilated body must've been burned beyond recognition at this point.) Madeline was worthy enough for a different kind of grave. Damien braced himself for the pain that was going to follow. Hissing through his teeth, he lifted Madeline's corpse and stood up. More blood was trickling out, but he ignored it. Looking to his left, he found out that the door that lead to the backyard had been left untouched by the fire. Carrying his dead angel like a groom would carry his bride (dear Madeline, we could've been so beautiful together!), Damien hobbled to the door, making sure the flames wouldn't touch him or Madeline. The doorknob had become awfully hot due to the suffocating temperature, but the butler managed to open the door.

Once he stepped outside, he was greeted with the cold air of the night, which heavily clashed with hell-heat the burned mansion produced. It looked like it had stopped storming. The petals of all the roses in the garden were covered with raindrops, illuminated by the flames; a beautiful final resting place. Damien hobbled towards the sea of roses, not allowing himself to drop Madeline's body despite the excruciating pain. Just then, he heard a hellish creaking and the shattering of glass behind him; the second floor must've collapsed, he was convinced about that. Just to think that if he had been staying for any longer in there... God, he didn't want to think about it. Now standing in front of the rosebushes, Damien had found what he was looking for. He let out a pained grunt when he lowered Madeline's body, allowing her to sink into the rosebushes. A grave of roses and raindrops... this is where she should rest, not inside the smoldering ruin of a mansion that had contained so much death and tragedy.

'I'm sorry...' Damien whispered, staring at her for one last time. If it wasn't for the blood that was covering her entire body, Madeline would've looked so innocent. It were her innocent looks and her uncanny resemblance to his dear Elizabeth that had him falling in love with her when they first met. The time they had together was absolutely wonderful... but now it was time to say goodbye.

'Farewell, Madeline.'

Farewell, my would-be bride. Farewell, my insane lover. Farewell, my murderous angel.

He wanted to get away from all of this. Damien made sure to keep a safe distant from the flames that protruded from the shattered windows when he walked past the burning mansion. The flames were just not large enough to touch the petals of the roses; the butler was afraid for one moment that the fire would eventually reach the petals, setting the roses on fire one by one and scorching Madeline's body. That would've been such a shame, but luckily it didn't happen. The roses were the silent watchers, the beautiful witnesses to the raging inferno that consumed the mansion. Damien couldn't help but look over his shoulder a few times with the delusion that Madeline would rise from her death and take him with her. But it didn't happen; she was still lying in there, in the middle of the flowers she had adored so much in life. It was a fitting place for her; they had met for the first time near the roses, now in death, she shall lie there for eternity. The pain in Damien's hip was killing him, but thankfully he had stopped bleeding. He continued to walk past the mansion until he reached the front. Before he exited the garden, he looked over his shoulder for one last time. He was all by himself. Damien Sandow, the sole survivor of a massacre that had been taking place for days without him even realizing it.

As he stood in front of the burning Lancaster mansion, he couldn't take his eyes off the fire. He remembered the first day he arrived here. The mansion had reminded him of some sort of castle, looking over the garden of roses in all its glory; but now there would be nothing left of it but a smoldering ruin. All of his possessions he had brought in here... gone. His clothes, his easel, his art, everything, swallowed up by the flames. Damien heard windows shattering now and then. When the dawn would arrive, nothing would be left of what once the astounding Lancaster mansion. A whole family and legacy, wiped away by the bloody hands of a murderous daughter, who was more than willing to kill her unloving family for the man she loved with her whole heart. The flames represented the burning wrath of Madeline Lancaster held towards her parents and maid.

She had killed them all because of him... she was that crazy in love with him.

Damien had been robbed of everything; his possessions, his job and the angel he loved so much. The clothes on his body and his wounds was all that he had left.

But not all was lost for him, though.

He could start all over again. He still had some family on the other side of the country, so perhaps he could stay there until he could get another job, but please, for the love of God... he didn't want to be a butler anymore.

Tonight, it was shown what the true powers of an enraged angel were. As beautiful as Madeline was from the outside, so rotten she was from the inside. Despite everything that had happened, Damien still found some empathy for her. The poor girl had never received any kind of love in her life, thus making her unable to comprehend what love could actually do to one person. And in this case, the love she had for her butler had turned her into a killer. Looking at the sky, Damien let out a sigh; he decided not to hold a grudge towards her.

'Please God, forgive this angel for what she has done... she was a lost soul.'

Could Elizabeth ever forgive Madeline for disregarding her role as her page and trying to kill Damien? Damien hoped so, from the bottom of his heart. Elizabeth was a kind girl in life, so perhaps Madeline would be lucky enough to receive her forgiveness. Now that her mortal form had died, she was able to return to the kingdom of angels and reunite with her queen. Please Elizabeth, be kind to her like you have been kind to me.

Damien would never forget what had happened this night... but he was willing to start over again.

'Madeline, my dear... we won't be reunited tonight... but we will, one day. I promise.'

Then he turned around and walked away from the burning mansion, allowing it to burn to ashes, along with the will to stay any longer at this place.

A white butterfly, accompanied by a blue butterfly, emerged from the rosebushes where Madeline was laid to rest and together they started their flight towards the night sky.

 **And that my friends was 'So Beautiful, So Rotten'. I really enjoyed writing this story, since it takes place in possibly my favorite era of history, the Victorian era. I have always admired the fashion and the architecture, plus I like to write in an elegant style, so I truly had a blast writing this. So what did we learn from this, my friends? Indeed: be careful with who you choose to date, because before you know it, that person might be yandere as hell xD I'd like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting this fanfic, it all means so much to me. See you next time!**


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